= Spinal nerve ramus
= Spinal nerve rami
{synonym}
A <spinal nerve ramus> is a branch formed after a <spinal nerve> has been assembled from its <dorsal root> and <ventral root>. Both posterior and anterior <spinal nerve rami> carry mixed sensory and motor fibres. Posterior branches principally supply the back; anterior branches supply the anterolateral trunk and, through nerve networks, the <limbs>.<Anatomy and Physiology 2e by J. Gordon Betts and others>[§13.4, Spinal Nerves and Nerve Plexuses]{ref}
A root and a ramus therefore describe different positions in the branching pathway. Fibres have already mixed before the <spinal nerve rami> separate. Many anterior branches contribute to a <nerve plexus>, redistributing <axons> from several spinal levels into named peripheral <nerves>. The branch points route existing fibres rather than forming new <synapses>.
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