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Human Model – Spinal cord
Transverse Section Architecture: Displays the butterfly-shaped gray matter and surrounding white matter in high relief, featuring detailed representations of the dorsal and ventral roots, spinal ganglia, and protective meningeal layers.
Enlarged Anatomical Scaling: Mounted on a high-durability polymer baseboard, this model incorporates a partially exposed vertebral segment to demonstrate the precise physiological relationship between the neural canal and the bony protection of the spine.
$6.54
Quick Answer: The human model spinal cord is an anatomical model of the spinal cord, usually shown in section with its nerve roots and coverings. It is used to teach the arrangement of grey and white matter, how spinal nerves are formed and how a simple reflex arc works.
The Cord in Cross-Section
A cut through the spinal cord shows a butterfly- or H-shaped core of grey matter surrounded by white matter, the reverse of the arrangement in the cerebral hemispheres. The grey matter holds nerve cell bodies: the dorsal horns receive incoming sensory fibres and the ventral horns contain the motor neurons that send signals to muscles. The white matter is made of bundles of myelinated fibres, the tracts, carrying information up to the brain and down from it.
On each side, a dorsal root carrying sensory fibres and a ventral root carrying motor fibres join to form a spinal nerve. The dorsal root has a swelling, the dorsal root ganglion, containing the cell bodies of the sensory neurons. There are thirty-one pairs of spinal nerves in all. Around the cord lie the three meninges, the dura, arachnoid and pia mater, with cerebrospinal fluid in the space beneath the arachnoid. Which of these features this model includes, and whether vertebrae are shown, should be confirmed.
The spinal cord model is the natural place to teach the reflex arc. When a hand touches something hot, a sensory neuron carries the signal through the dorsal root into the grey matter, a relay neuron passes it to a motor neuron, and the motor neuron sends it out through the ventral root to a muscle, which pulls the hand away before the brain is aware of the pain. The nervous system poster places the cord within the whole nervous system.
Specifications
| Model of | Human spinal cord |
| Internal structure | Grey matter horns and white matter tracts in section, as usually modelled |
| Nerve roots | Dorsal and ventral roots with the dorsal root ganglion |
| Coverings | Meninges, where shown |
| Vertebrae, section count and size | Confirm at enquiry |
Care & Handling
- Support the spinal cord model along its length when lifting; the thin nerve roots are the most fragile part.
- Clean with a soft brush and a lightly damp cloth, and keep solvents away from painted tracts.
- Store it lying flat or on its stand, not wedged upright between other models.
Applications
- Teaching grey and white matter and the spinal tracts
- Explaining the reflex arc in secondary biology
- Showing how spinal nerves form from dorsal and ventral roots
- Nursing and paramedical lessons on spinal injury and lumbar puncture anatomy
Why Choose LabEquip
Biology teachers, physiotherapy tutors and nursing colleges use a spinal cord model to make reflexes and nerve pathways concrete. LabEquip offers it with its other biology lab products; enquire through the LabEquip contact page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the grey matter inside the spinal cord?
In the spinal cord the nerve cell bodies are grouped in the centre, while the myelinated fibres running up and down form the outer white matter. The cerebral cortex of the brain has the opposite arrangement.
Which neurons take part in a spinal reflex?
A sensory neuron brings the signal from the receptor into the cord, a relay neuron in the grey matter passes it on, and a motor neuron carries it out to the effector muscle. The response begins before the brain has processed the sensation.
What is the dorsal root ganglion?
It is a swelling on the dorsal root of each spinal nerve that contains the cell bodies of the sensory neurons carrying information from the body into the cord.
How many spinal nerves does the body have?
There are thirty-one pairs: eight cervical, twelve thoracic, five lumbar, five sacral and one coccygeal. Each pair leaves the vertebral canal at its own level.
Why is a lumbar puncture done low in the back?
In adults the spinal cord usually ends around the first or second lumbar vertebra. Below that level the needle can reach the cerebrospinal fluid with little risk of touching the cord itself.
What are the meninges?
They are three protective membranes around the brain and spinal cord: the tough outer dura mater, the arachnoid mater and the delicate pia mater on the surface of the cord.
Last Updated: September 2026
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