Sexual Dimorphism of the Motoneurons in the Human Spinal Cord

Abstract

There have been few morphometric studies on the size of the motoneurons of the human spinal cord. The purpose of the present study is to report the differences in the size of the motoneurons between males and females in the human spinal cord. We examined numbers and transverse cell body areas of the motoneurons of the anterior horn using 16 male and 21 female human spinal cords at levels C5 and L3. The sizes of the motoneurons were larger in males than in females, but their numbers were practically the same. These results can be of great importance in setting standard values for the understanding of morphological and functional correlations.