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spinal cord

(Science: anatomy) Elongated, approximately cylindrical part of the central nervous system of vertebrates that lies in the vertebral canal and from which the spinal nerves emerge. A major part of the central nervous system which conducts sensory and motor nerve impulses to and from the brain; a long tube-like structure extending from the base of the brain through the vertebral canal to the upper lumbar region.Enclosed in the protective backbone, the spinal cord is essentially the 'motorway' to the Central Nervous System and is involved in the co-ordination of movement.