Spinal Cord at the C5 Level

Description

Centered at the C5 segment, the transverse section of the spinal cord is organized around butterfly-shaped gray matter surrounded by white matter, with a small central canal at the gray commissure. Prominent anterior (ventral) horns project anterolaterally, while the posterior (dorsal) horns extend posterolaterally toward the dorsal root entry zone, separated on the surface by the anterior median fissure and the posterior median sulcus. Lateral white matter contains the major ascending and descending funiculi at this cervical level, where tract cross-sectional area is relatively large. Segmental symmetry is clear. C5 is a teaching level because it sits at the cervical enlargement supplying the upper limb, so the large ventral horn reflects the motor neuron pool destined for shoulder and proximal arm musculature via the brachial plexus. Correlating horn and tract anatomy here helps explain classic exam patterns: an anterior cord syndrome affects anterior horn cells and corticospinal tracts (weakness below the lesion) while sparing dorsal columns (preserved vibration and proprioception), and a syrinx expanding from the central canal can interrupt decussating spinothalamic fibers, producing suspended bilateral pain and temperature loss in a cape distribution. Root level matters clinically. C5 radiculopathy often presents with deltoid and biceps weakness and reduced biceps reflex. Use this cross-section in neuroanatomy courses to anchor spinal cord orientation (anterior median fissure as the landmark), in neurology or neurosurgery teaching files to map deficits to gray versus white matter, and in textbook figures on cervical myelopathy, trauma patterns, or intramedullary lesions. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.