| Gray ramus communicans | |
|---|---|
| Scheme showing structure of a typical spinal nerve. 1. Somatic efferent. 2. Somatic afferent. 3,4,5. Sympathetic efferent. 6,7. Sympathetic afferent. | |
| Diagram of the course and branches of a typical intercostal nerve. (Rami communicantes labeled at center.) | |
| Latin | ramus communicans griseus nervi spinalis |
| Gray's | subject #208 920 |
Each spinal nerve receives a branch, gray ramus communicans, from the adjacent ganglion of the sympathetic trunk.
They contain unmyelinated postganglionic sympathetic fibers.
Contents |
After signals are carried from the spinal cord to the ganglion through the ventral ramus, they synapse in the ganglion, and then post-ganglionic fibres carry them to the organs that they innervate. But if the response is the whole body response, as in sympathetic fight or flight, the signals are distributed to other spinal nerves by way of gray rami which serve as bridges between the spinal nerves.
This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.
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