Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (642 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
A cylindrical column of tissue that lies within the vertebral canal. It is composed of white matter and gray matter.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Cord, Spinal; Cords, Spinal; Spinal Cords; Myelon; Myelons; Medulla Spinalis; Medulla Spinali; Spinali, Medulla.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Central Nervous System
- Narrower topics
- Blood-Spinal Cord Barrier; Cervical Cord; Extrapyramidal Tracts; Gray Matter; Pyramidal Tracts; Spinal Cord Dorsal Horn; Spinal Cord Lateral Horn; Spinal Cord Ventral Horn; Spinothalamic Tracts; White Matter
- See also
- Cauda Equina; Cordotomy; Motor Neurons; Myelography
Related concepts
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 126,032 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Spinal Cord” (counts retrieved 2026-10-29). 24,336 of them (19.3%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 50,973 records.
Reviews account for 9,145 records (7.3%) and meta-analyses for 586. Randomized controlled trials number 840 (0.7%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 50,973 |
| 2000-2009 | 19,739 |
| 2010-2019 | 30,984 |
| 2020 onward | 24,336 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 9,145 | 7.3% |
| Meta-analyses | 586 | 0.5% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 840 | 0.7% |
Method: PubMed query "Spinal Cord"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-29.
Reading the evidence in neuroscience
Neuroscience draws on tools with different strengths: cellular and animal work can manipulate circuits directly, while human imaging and electrophysiology observe the living brain at lower resolution. Small imaging studies are prone to false positives, and findings in animals do not always carry over to people. Clinical neurology and psychiatry rely on trials and cohort studies whose outcomes are often symptom scales. Check the species, the sample size, how the outcome was measured and whether results were replicated.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lifespan Trajectories of Asymmetry in White Matter Tracts | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 5 | cc by PMID 42249731 · DOI · PMC13241809 |
| Focal white matter lesions drive grey matter inflammation and synapse loss | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 3 | cc by PMID 42020752 · DOI · PMC13293868 |
| Translational perspectives on neurophysiological responses and mechanisms in blood flow restriction exercise | 2026 | Review article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 3 | cc by PMID 42303276 · DOI · PMC13394802 |
Lifespan Trajectories of Asymmetry in White Matter Tracts [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Asymmetry in white matter is believed to give rise to the brain's capacity for specialized processing and is involved in the lateralization of various cognitive processes, such as language and visuo-spatial reasoning.
- Closing excerpt
- It provides a foundational resource for understanding the principles of white matter organization from early to late life, its relation to functional specialization and inter-individual variability, and offers a key reference for interpreting deviations during healthy development and aging as well as those associated with clinical populations.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (303 words)
Asymmetry in white matter is believed to give rise to the brain's capacity for specialized processing and is involved in the lateralization of various cognitive processes, such as language and visuo-spatial reasoning. Although studies of white matter asymmetry have been previously documented, they have often been constrained by limited age ranges, sample sizes, or the scope of the tracts and structural features examined. While normative lifespan charts for brain structures are emerging, comprehensive charts detailing white matter asymmetries across numerous pathways and diverse structural measures have been notably absent. This study addresses this gap by leveraging a large-scale dataset of 35,120 typically developing and aging individuals, ranging from 0 to 100 years of age, from 50 primary neuroimaging studies. We generated comprehensive lifespan trajectories for 30 lateralized association and projection white matter tracts, examining six distinct microstructural and macrostructural features of these pathways. Our findings reveal that: (1) asymmetries are widespread across the brain's white matter and are present in all 30 pathways; (2) for a given pathway, the degree and direction of asymmetry differ between features of tissue microstructure and pathway macrostructure; (3) asymmetries vary across and within pathway types (association and projection tracts); and (4) these asymmetries are not static, following unique trajectories across the lifespan, with distinct changes during development, and a general trend of becoming more asymmetric with increasing age (particularly in later adulthood) across pathways. This study represents the most extensive characterization of white matter asymmetry across the lifespan to date, charting how lateralization patterns emerge, mature, and change throughout life. It provides a foundational resource for understanding the principles of white matter organization from early to late life, its relation to functional specialization and inter-individual variability, and offers a key reference for interpreting deviations during healthy development and aging as well as those associated with clinical populations.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42249731 · DOI · PMC13241809
Focal white matter lesions drive grey matter inflammation and synapse loss [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Focal white matter lesions occur in most neurodegenerative disorders1-3.
- Closing excerpt
- Our findings reveal a form of regenerative plasticity coupling white matter integrity to grey matter function, which may underlie multiple neurodegenerative conditions, and highlight the potential of targeting myelin regeneration to prevent chronic neuroinflammation.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (212 words)
Focal white matter lesions occur in most neurodegenerative disorders1-3. Despite occurring early in disease, white matter lesions are considered to be independent of, or secondary to, grey matter neuroinflammation, synapse loss and altered neuronal activity4-7. Notably, their functional effect on neuronal circuits remains understudied. To address this, we generated a focal white matter lesion in the rat brain within a clinically relevant, anatomically well-defined circuit, in which these lesions occur in many neurodegenerative disorders8-10. Here we show that focal white matter lesions evoke transient neuronal activity changes and microgliosis, with subsequent synapse loss and increased microglial engulfment in the grey matter, which is reversed if myelin regeneration completes. Grey matter microgliosis is often considered to be detrimental; however, we show that it is an integral part of regeneration and is conserved across three distinct mouse circuits and lesioning methods. Preventing these transient changes in the grey matter blocks myelin regeneration in the white matter. Conversely, inducing myelin regeneration failure leads to chronic grey matter neuroinflammation. This recapitulates the low-grade inflammation considered to be a dominant mechanism underlying neurodegeneration7,11,12. Our findings reveal a form of regenerative plasticity coupling white matter integrity to grey matter function, which may underlie multiple neurodegenerative conditions, and highlight the potential of targeting myelin regeneration to prevent chronic neuroinflammation.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42020752 · DOI · PMC13293868
Translational perspectives on neurophysiological responses and mechanisms in blood flow restriction exercise [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Maintaining corticospinal tract function is crucial for voluntary movement.
- Closing excerpt
- Given the potential significance of blood flow restriction exercise for clinical populations, this review synthesises available data and potential mechanisms of these neuroplastic responses while providing translational insights and future research recommendations.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (127 words)
Maintaining corticospinal tract function is crucial for voluntary movement. Exercise using high external loads/intensities is a promising intervention to promote adaptations to the corticospinal tract and improve physical function; however, such loads/intensities may not be tolerable or safe in populations with neurological disorders, motor-impaired injuries and older adults. Exercise using low external loads/intensities with blood flow restriction offers an alternative that provides comparable adaptations in muscular hypertrophy, strength and function (e.g., gait performance) to higher external-load/intensity exercise. Although some data suggest that blood flow restriction exercise may induce neuroplasticity, the neurophysiological responses remain largely unknown. Given the potential significance of blood flow restriction exercise for clinical populations, this review synthesises available data and potential mechanisms of these neuroplastic responses while providing translational insights and future research recommendations.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42303276 · DOI · PMC13394802
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article White matter hyperintensities and risks of cognitive impairment and dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 36 prospective studies [4]
- Research article White matter microstructural alterations across four major psychiatric disorders: mega-analysis study in 2937 individuals [5]
- Research article A systematic review of MRI studies examining the relationship between physical fitness and activity and the white matter of the ageing brain [6]
- Research article Outcome after the treatment of spinal dural arteriovenous fistulae: a contemporary single-institution series and meta-analysis [7]
- Research article WMH and long-term outcomes in ischemic stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis [8]
- Research article Gray matter alterations in chronic pain: A network-oriented meta-analytic approach [9]
References
- Bogdanov S, Kanakaraj P, Kim ME, Samir J, Gao C, Ramadass K, et al.. Lifespan Trajectories of Asymmetry in White Matter Tracts. . 2026. PMID 42249731 · DOI · PMC13241809
- de Faria O, Vagionitis S, Lopez-Lopez A, Perry M, Wong JJY, Rodríguez-Kirby L, et al.. Focal white matter lesions drive grey matter inflammation and synapse loss. . 2026. PMID 42020752 · DOI · PMC13293868
- Fox KT, Hughes L, Scott BR, Goods PSR, Teo SY, Vallence AM. Translational perspectives on neurophysiological responses and mechanisms in blood flow restriction exercise. . 2026. PMID 42303276 · DOI · PMC13394802
- Hu HY, Ou YN, Shen XN, Qu Y, Ma YH, Wang ZT, et al.. White matter hyperintensities and risks of cognitive impairment and dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 36 prospective studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2021. PMID 33188821 · DOI
- Koshiyama D, Fukunaga M, Okada N, Morita K, Nemoto K, Usui K, et al.. White matter microstructural alterations across four major psychiatric disorders: mega-analysis study in 2937 individuals. Mol Psychiatry. 2020. PMID 31780770 · DOI · PMC7156346
- Sexton CE, Betts JF, Demnitz N, Dawes H, Ebmeier KP, Johansen-Berg H. A systematic review of MRI studies examining the relationship between physical fitness and activity and the white matter of the ageing brain. Neuroimage. 2016. PMID 26477656 · DOI · PMC4851455
- Steinmetz MP, Chow MM, Krishnaney AA, Andrews-Hinders D, Benzel EC, Masaryk TJ, et al.. Outcome after the treatment of spinal dural arteriovenous fistulae: a contemporary single-institution series and meta-analysis. Neurosurgery. 2004. PMID 15214976 · DOI
- Georgakis MK, Duering M, Wardlaw JM, Dichgans M. WMH and long-term outcomes in ischemic stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurology. 2019. PMID 30770431 · DOI
- Cauda F, Palermo S, Costa T, Torta R, Duca S, Vercelli U, et al.. Gray matter alterations in chronic pain: A network-oriented meta-analytic approach. Neuroimage Clin. 2014. PMID 24936419 · DOI · PMC4053643
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-29.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.