ANTERIOR HORN CELL

The anterior horn of the spinal cord (or anterior cornu, or anterior column, or
ventral horn) is the ventral (front) grey matter section of the spinal cord.
The anterior horn contains motoneurons that affect the axial muscles while the
posterior horn receives information regarding touch and sensation.
The anterior horn is where the cell bodies of alpha motorneurons are located.

[edit] Pathology
It is these cells that are affected in the so-called "Anterior Horn Diseases", namely
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Spinal muscular atrophy, Charcot-Marie-Tooth
disease, Poliomyelitis and Progressive muscular atrophy. These motorneurons are
also affected in Spinal and Bulbar Muscular Atrophy (Kennedy disease).

[edit] Anatomical details

The Anterior Column (anterior cornu, anterior horn), directed forward, is broad
and of a rounded or quadrangular shape.
Its posterior part is termed the base, and its anterior part the head, but these are not
differentiated from each other by any well-defined constriction.
It is separated from the surface of the medulla spinalis by a layer of white substance
which is traversed by the bundles of the anterior nerve roots.
In the thoracic region, the postero-lateral part of the anterior column projects
lateralward as a triangular field, which is named the lateral column (columna
lateralis; lateral cornu).

[edit] Additional images

Section of the medulla oblongata through the lower part of the decussation of the pyramids