Published

spinal cord

vr.tr.spinal-cord · thing-q9606

Enable an AI agent to recognise a spinal cord, assess its anatomical and functional state, and identify actions whose prerequisites, authority and risks require evaluation.

Thing Registry Physical world and living systems PHY.LIV

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Classifiers What it is Why it exists Distinguishing features What robots and AI may and may not do Moral aspects Owners Links to other meta-models Identity and identifiers Direct properties Recognition Capabilities and actions Hazards and failure modes Standards and interfaces Context of use Sources

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled

6 bundles · 11 layers · 11 findings · 21 questions

Cord identity and localisation Establishes which spinal cord is represented and how its regions are located.

Anatomical boundaries

Identifies the cord's extent and interfaces with adjacent neural and supporting structures.

Cord extent and terminal boundary

Records the observed cord extent and the evidence separating its terminal region from roots and supporting tissue.

What species, developmental stage and anatomical landmarks define the rostral and caudal boundaries of this cord? boundary
Which image, examination of a specimen or other observation supports identification of the conus and its distinction from adjacent roots and filum? provenance

Segmental reference

Maintains explicit correspondence between cord regions, root attachments and external landmarks.

Cord segment location

Records localisation without conflating cord segment, vertebral level and examination-derived neurological level.

Does each reported level denote a cord segment, a vertebral landmark or an examination-derived neurological level? definition
How was correspondence between these levels established, and what uncertainty remains? provenance

Intrinsic cord architecture Represents cord geometry and the internal organisation visible to the available methods.

Cord geometry

Describes dimensions, contour and continuity along the cord.

Regional shape and size

Records location-specific measurements and morphological observations against an appropriate reference.

What cord diameters or cross-sectional areas were measured, at which locations and in which acquisition planes? measurement
What evidence distinguishes expected regional shape from focal swelling, flattening, thinning or discontinuity? provenance

Neural compartments

Describes assessable grey matter, white matter and central canal relationships.

Internal compartment integrity

Records which internal structures are resolved and where their appearance is altered.

Which grey matter, white matter or central canal features can the observation method actually distinguish? boundary
Where are altered signal, cavitation or architectural disruption observed, and what are their measured extents? measurement

Cord function and localisation Connects observed function to possible cord pathways and segmental circuits.

Longitudinal pathway function

Records motor and sensory observations relevant to transmission through the cord.

Motor and sensory pattern

Preserves the distribution and validity of findings before inferring a cord localisation.

What motor and sensory findings were observed by side, body region and sensory modality, using which examination or physiological test? measurement
What evidence supports a cord localisation, and what brain, root or peripheral nerve explanations remain unresolved? boundary

Segmental and autonomic function

Captures reflex and autonomic observations whose interpretation depends on cord circuits and connected structures.

Reflex and autonomic pattern

Records relevant reflexes and autonomic effects without attributing whole-organ dysfunction solely to the cord.

Which reflex, bladder, bowel, sexual or cardiovascular observations are available, and when and how were they obtained? measurement
Which components of these observations are plausibly attributable to cord circuits, and which depend on roots, peripheral nerves, organs or confounding conditions? boundary

Cord pathology and dependencies Localises cord abnormalities and relates them to potential intrinsic and external mechanisms.

Intrinsic lesion pattern

Describes abnormalities within cord tissue before assigning their cause.

Lesion extent and interpretation

Separates observed lesion features from proposed mechanisms and diagnoses.

What is the abnormality's longitudinal extent, laterality and cross-sectional distribution within the cord? measurement
Which observations support each proposed mechanism, and which interpretations remain unconfirmed? provenance

External effects on cord

Links cord state to surrounding structures, fluid spaces and vascular dependencies.

Compression, tethering and perfusion context

Records evidence of external constraint or vascular contribution while keeping adjacent entities distinct.

Which adjacent structure or vascular dependency is implicated, and where does it relate to the affected cord region? boundary
What evidence supports compression, tethering or impaired perfusion as a contributor rather than an incidental association? provenance

Cord course and action constraints Tracks cord state over time and defines what must be established before an action is considered.

Temporal cord state

Compares anatomical and functional observations across time.

Cord change and comparability

Records whether apparent progression or recovery is supported by comparable observations.

How have cord morphology and attributable neurological findings changed relative to a dated baseline? measurement
Do differences in imaging, examination conditions, sedation or assessability limit interpretation of that change? provenance

Assessment and intervention gates

Records the target, evidence requirements and authority for proposed cord-related actions.

Cord action prerequisites

Makes action eligibility reviewable without embedding a universal treatment protocol.

Does the proposed action target cord tissue, a compressing structure or another dependency, and what localisation and state evidence must be established first? action
Which authorised clinical pathway governs the action, its urgency and monitoring for neurological change? action

Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.

Reported evidence

Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.

Kinds and varieties

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of spinal cord this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Classifiers Filled

Family: Thing Registry
Category: Physical world and living systems
Entry kind: thing
Plane: PHY
Domain: PHY.LIV

What it is Filled

The spinal cord is the caudal continuation of the central nervous system within the vertebral canal, a segmented cylindrical tract of grey and white matter that conducts ascending sensory and descending motor signals and houses the internuncial circuitry of spinal reflexes.

In scope

Identity, anatomical extent and boundaries of an individual spinal cord
Cord segments, intrinsic grey and white matter, and their spatial relationships
Motor, sensory, autonomic and reflex functions attributable to the cord
Intrinsic tissue condition, lesions and their distribution
Cord responses to injury, disease, compression and intervention
Evidence and uncertainty supporting assessment of cord state

Out of scope

Vertebrae, intervertebral discs, spinal joints and mechanical stability as structures in their own right
Brain and brainstem anatomy beyond their boundary and functional relationship with the cord
Spinal nerve roots, dorsal root ganglia, cauda equina and peripheral nerves as separate structures
Meninges, cerebrospinal fluid spaces and supplying vessels as independently modelled structures
Whole-person disability, rehabilitation goals and participation outcomes
Complete disease models, procedural protocols and treatment selection

Why it exists Filled

Enable an AI agent to recognise a spinal cord, assess its anatomical and functional state, and identify actions whose prerequisites, authority and risks require evaluation.

Distinguishing features Filled

Identify central nervous tissue organised around a longitudinal cord axis, rather than the bone, discs and ligaments of the vertebral column.
Distinguish the cord's continuous neural tissue from the separate nerve roots of the cauda equina; a location inside the spinal canal alone is insufficient.
Establish continuity with the brainstem and locate the transition using landmarks appropriate to the species and developmental stage.
Look for intrinsic grey and white matter organisation and segmental root attachments when the available imaging, specimen or anatomical evidence can resolve them.
Distinguish the conus medullaris, which is the terminal cord region, from the continuing filum terminale and adjacent descending roots.

What robots and AI may and may not do Filled

Must not

Move or manipulate a person with a suspected spinal injury except to save them from immediate danger.
Give a diagnosis or prognosis of a spinal condition without a clinician.
Disclose a person's spinal injury or disability without consent.
Promote unproven stem cell or cure treatments as effective.

Only with a human decision

Any clinical procedure or treatment decision involving the spinal cord.

May

Explain spinal cord anatomy, function and injury in general terms.
Advise that a person with a suspected spinal injury should not be moved until help arrives.

Moral aspects Filled

Spinal cord injury changes lives permanently; false hope from unproven cures exploits people.
People with spinal injuries face barriers that society, not the injury, often creates.

Who is affected

People with spinal cord injury
Families and carers
Patients in research

Owners Filled

Steward

The person whose body it is; clinicians treat it with consent.

Links to other meta-models Filled

parent

Q112826975 - registry parent class
Q24060765 - registry parent class
Q5298795 - registry parent class
Q66589895 - registry parent class

What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled

Sources Filled

Wikidata item Q9606: spinal cord - identity and sense of the item
Wikipedia: Spinal cord - general description of the item

Open questions

Should the initial publication cover human spinal cords only, or provide species-specific extensions with separately researched anatomical expectations?
Which reference methods and populations support interpretation of cord dimensions and conus position across developmental stages?
Which neurological assessment standards should be supported, and how should their applicability and limitations be represented across traumatic and non-traumatic conditions?
What evidence thresholds justify attributing motor, sensory or autonomic findings to the cord when brain, root and peripheral explanations coexist?
Which reviewed clinical pathways should supply escalation and intervention prerequisites for particular cord conditions and care settings?

Machine files

Card as JSON Specification Card backlog vercy.card/1

Provenance

thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed

Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q9606/spec.json