Anterior ramus of spinal nerve

The anterior ramus (pl. rami) (Latin for branch) (ventral ramus), is the anterior division of a spinal nerve. The anterior rami supply the antero-lateral parts of the trunk and the limbs. They are mainly larger than the posterior rami.

Shortly after a spinal nerve exits the intervertebral foramen, it branches into the dorsal ramus, ventral ramus, and rami communicantes. Each of these latter three structures carries both sensory and motor information. Because each spinal nerve carries both sensory and motor information, spinal nerves are referred to as “mixed nerves.”