Posterior Root of Fourth Cervical Nerve
Radix posterior nervi cervicalis quarti
Read moreQuick Facts
Origin: Fourth cervical nerve.
Course: Medially towards the posterior side of the spinal cord.
Branches: None.
Supply: Sensory innervation to the skin around the neck.
Origin
The posterior root of the fourth cervical nerve originates just lateral to or in the intervertebral foramen, between the third and fourth cervical vertebrae. This corresponds to the point where the cervical nerve splits into anterior and posterior roots.
Course
The posterior root of the fourth cervical nerve runs medially towards the posterior side of the spinal cord. Adjacent to the appropriate spinal cord level, the posterior root splits into smaller rootlets, which enter the posterior spinal cord in line with the dorsal horn of the gray matter.
Branches
There are no branches of the posterior root of the fourth cervical nerve. The proximal end of the posterior root has a bulge called the spinal (or dorsal root) ganglion, which is the location of the neuronal cell bodies of the neurons that form the posterior root.
Supplied Structures
Sensory afferent neurons from the supraclavicular nerves and the posterior rami transmit general sensory information from the skin of the neck to the posterior roots.
