Nucleus pulposus is the gelatinous core of the intervertebral disc

• A. Vertebral body
• B. Annulus fibrosus
• C. Nucleus pulposus
• D. Hyaline cartilage

Answer: (C)

The intervertebral disc has a soft, gel-like center and a tough outer ring. The gel-like center is the nucleus pulposus, which contains a lot of water and proteoglycans, giving it a gelatinous consistency that lets it deform under pressure and distribute loads across the disc. Surrounding it is the annulus fibrosus, a fibrous ring that confines the nucleus and resists expansion and shear. The vertebral bodies are the bones above and below the disc, not part of the disc itself, and hyaline cartilage is found in the cartilage endplates and joint surfaces, not in the disc’s central core. So the nucleus pulposus truly is the gelatinous core of the intervertebral disc.