Which cavity contains the spinal cord?

Which cavity contains the spinal cord?

• A. Dorsal body cavity
• B. Thoracic body cavity
• C. Abdominal body cavity
• D. Spinal body cavity

Answer: (D)

The spinal cord sits inside a hollow passage inside the spine called the spinal canal. That canal is part of the dorsal body cavity, which protects the central nervous system. When people refer to the space that houses the spinal cord specifically, they call it the spinal cavity. So this choice points to the exact location of the cord within the dorsal region of the body. The other cavities—thoracic and abdominal—are in a different (ventral) part of the body and don’t contain the spinal cord, while the dorsal cavity is the larger region that includes both the spinal and cranial spaces.

The spinal cord sits inside a hollow passage inside the spine called the spinal canal. That canal is part of the dorsal body cavity, which protects the central nervous system. When people refer to the space that houses the spinal cord specifically, they call it the spinal cavity. So this choice points to the exact location of the cord within the dorsal region of the body. The other cavities—thoracic and abdominal—are in a different (ventral) part of the body and don’t contain the spinal cord, while the dorsal cavity is the larger region that includes both the spinal and cranial spaces.