Sacral parasympathetic nucleus - Spinal cord - Cross-section - e-Anatomy
View the module

Sacral parasympathetic nucleus

Nucleus parasympathicus sacralis

  • Related terms: Sacral parasympathetic nuclei

Definition

Muhammad A. Javaid

The sacral parasympathetic nucleus consists of a cluster of neuronal cell bodies located within the lateral intermediate substance of the S2, S3, and S4 segments of the spinal cord. These neuronal cell bodies are the origin of preganglionic parasympathetic autonomic motor fibers that innervate the hindgut and pelvic organs. Unlike the thoracolumbar region of the spinal cord, the sacral parasympathetic nucleus does not form a distinct lateral horn in the sacral region.

References

  • Snell, R.S. (2010). ‘Chapter 4: The Spinal Cord and the Ascending and Descending Tracts’, in Clinical Neuroanatomy. (7th ed.) Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, pp. 137-142.

  • Byrne, J.H. and Dafny, N. ‘Chapter 3: Anatomy of the Spinal Cord. [Content reviewed and revised 07 Oct 2020]. In Neuroanatomy Online, an open-access electronic laboratory for the neurosciences. McGovern Medical School at UTHealth; Accessed 2022 Oct 22. Available from: https://nba.uth.tmc.edu/neuroscience/m/s2/chapter03.html

  • Brown, A.G. (1982). Review article the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Physiology: Translation and Integration, 67(2), pp.193-212. https://doi.org/10.1113/expphysiol.1982.sp002630

  • Ganapathy, M.K., Reddy, V. and Tadi, P. Neuroanatomy, Spinal Cord Morphology. [Updated 2021 Oct 30]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK545206/

Gallery