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Glite Dictionary
supraspinal

supraspinal

1 9.3
A part of the nervous system that is above the spinal cord inside the brain
  • adjective
  • /ˌsuːprəˈspaɪnəl/
  • Specialized
: suprapinal
  • Research shows that supraspinal signals can significantly affect motor control and coordination.

Examples

  • This solution was entirely adequate for the two subjects with complete loss of balancing abilities of their legs, as no supraspinal control over their knees was preserved.

    Academic text (2000)

  • Surgeons often need to consider the supraspinal pathways when treating spinal injuries.

  • Changes in reflex amplitude are a peripheral manifestation of supraspinal processes influencing spinal excitability (Brunia & van Boxtel, 2000).

    Academic text (2004)

  • The supraspinal region of the brain is crucial for coordinating voluntary movements.

Surface Forms

supraspinal positive

Morphology

supraspinal = spinal (semi-transparent) = supra + spine + al

The structure is supra- + spinal, which transparently means 'above the spine' in a medical/scientific sense, but the prefix 'supra-' is specialized and may be unfamiliar to average B1 learners.

Etymology

Supraspinal comes from the prefix supra- meaning 'above' and from spinal, from spine meaning 'backbone'. So, it means 'above the spine', in other words in the brain or above the spinal cord.