The ventral horn houses nuclei of the somatic nervous system. It contains the following motor nuclei:

Lateral motor nuclei of spinal nerves (ventrolateral nucleus, dorsolateral nucleus and retrodorsolateral nucleus) - motor neurons that are situated in the lateral aspect of the anterior horn; found only within the cervical and lumbar segments; they contain neuronal cell bodies that provide motor innervation to the distal muscles of the lower limb and muscles of the upper limbs;
Medial motor nuclei of spinal nerves (ventromedial nucleus and dorsomedial nucleus) - motor neurons that are located in the medial aspect of the anterior horn throughout all spinal cord segments; they give rise to nerve fibers that innervate trunk (axial) musculature and muscles of the girdles (proximal muscles of the limbs);
Phrenic nucleus - phrenic nerve nucleus - located in the central part of the anterior horn only in four or three cervical segments (C2 / C3 - C5); contains neurons that innervate the diaphragm;
Accessory nucleus - nucleus of spinal roots of the accessory nerve - located in the base of the ventral horn only within the first five cervical segments (C1 - C5) of the spinal cord; it contains neuronal cell bodies that give rise to nerve fibers supplying the trapezius muscle and sternocleidomastoid muscle.

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Nuclei of ventral horn