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Glite Dictionary
dorsal horn

dorsal horn

1 7.7
A part at the back of the spinal cord that receives signals from nerves for touch and pain
  • noun
  • /ˈdɔrsəl hɔrn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : cuerno dorsal
  • The doctor explained that the injury to the dorsal horn affects how sensations are interpreted in the body.

Examples

  • You find the large motor neurons in these animals that have dendrites that sometimes go way up into the dorsal horn, OK.

  • After an amputation, there is a loss of this inhibitory control in the dorsal horn and signals can intensify.

  • And you're right, that will cause de affrontation of the dorsal horn neurons that are getting those inputs.

  • In the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, sensory nerve fibers connect with interneurons to process pain signals.

  • Research shows that neurons in the dorsal horn play a crucial role in regulating sensory information before it reaches the brain.

Synonyms

posterior horn
vsdorsal horn
  • Specialized
9.5

Back part of the spinal cord that receives signals from the body about touch and pain

focuses on where sensory fibers form synapses in that region

Surface Forms

dorsal horn singular
dorsal horns plural

Morphology

dorsal + horn

The meaning is directly built from 'dorsal' (relating to the back) + 'horn' (a projecting part), so it denotes a projecting region on the back/posterior side of a structure — here the spinal cord. This anatomical compound follows a transparent composition pattern (also found cross-linguistically as 'posterior horn'), so learners who know the constituents can infer the basic meaning.

Etymology

Dorsal horn is a simple picture: dorsal means 'back' and the gray matter at the back of the spinal cord sticks out like a small horn. That's why the name refers to the part at the 'back' where 'sensory' nerve signals arrive.