Which structure carries sensory input into the spinal cord?

Which structure carries sensory input into the spinal cord?

• A. Ventral root
• B. Dorsal root
• C. Dorsal root ganglion
• D. Anterior horns

Answer: (B)

Understanding where sensory information enters the spinal cord helps you see why this path is correct. Sensory (afferent) signals enter the spinal cord via the dorsal root, which is the entry point for these fibers as they travel toward the cord. The cell bodies of these sensory neurons sit in the dorsal root ganglion just outside the spinal cord, but the actual “inward” highway into the cord is the dorsal root itself. In contrast, the ventral (anterior) root carries motor commands outward to muscles, and the anterior horns are regions of gray matter that house motor neuron cell bodies, not input pathways. So the dorsal root is the structure that carries sensory input into the spinal cord.

Understanding where sensory information enters the spinal cord helps you see why this path is correct. Sensory (afferent) signals enter the spinal cord via the dorsal root, which is the entry point for these fibers as they travel toward the cord. The cell bodies of these sensory neurons sit in the dorsal root ganglion just outside the spinal cord, but the actual “inward” highway into the cord is the dorsal root itself. In contrast, the ventral (anterior) root carries motor commands outward to muscles, and the anterior horns are regions of gray matter that house motor neuron cell bodies, not input pathways. So the dorsal root is the structure that carries sensory input into the spinal cord.