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Sixth thoracic vertebra: anatomy, location and function

The sixth of the twelve thoracic vertebrae, labelled T6, which articulate with ribs. Supports the trunk, forms the posterior part of the rib cage by articulating with ribs, and protects the spinal cord.

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Highlighted in the model: Sixth thoracic vertebra. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The model is an adult male.

Sixth thoracic vertebra at a glance

Also called
T6
What it is
The sixth of the twelve thoracic vertebrae, labelled T6, which articulate with ribs.
Location
Lies in the middle thoracic spine between T5 and T7.
Function
Supports the trunk, forms the posterior part of the rib cage by articulating with ribs, and protects the spinal cord.
Body system
Skeletal · single, midline structure
FMA ID
FMA9945 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • Typical thoracic vertebra with a long spinous process angled steeply downward.
  • Its body bears superior and inferior demifacets for the heads of ribs 6 and 7, and its transverse processes articulate with the tubercle of rib 6.

Structures next to the sixth thoracic vertebra

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Sixth thoracic vertebra (FMA9945). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §7.1 Divisions of the Skeletal System. Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.

Related anatomy

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.