Which nervous system includes the sensory and motor neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body?

Which nervous system includes the sensory and motor neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body?

• A. Central Nervous System
• B. Autonomic Nervous System
• C. Somatic Nervous System
• D. Peripheral Nervous System

Answer: (D)

The peripheral nervous system is the network outside the brain and spinal cord that links the CNS to the rest of the body. It carries sensory information from receptors to the CNS (afferent signals) and transmits motor commands from the CNS to muscles and glands (efferent signals). It includes all the nerves that reach out to limbs and organs and divides into somatic (voluntary control of skeletal muscles and conscious sensation) and autonomic (involuntary bodily functions) components. The key idea is that this system encompasses the pathways that connect the CNS to the body, whereas the CNS is just the brain and spinal cord, and the autonomic and somatic parts are subdivisions within the peripheral system.

The peripheral nervous system is the network outside the brain and spinal cord that links the CNS to the rest of the body. It carries sensory information from receptors to the CNS (afferent signals) and transmits motor commands from the CNS to muscles and glands (efferent signals). It includes all the nerves that reach out to limbs and organs and divides into somatic (voluntary control of skeletal muscles and conscious sensation) and autonomic (involuntary bodily functions) components. The key idea is that this system encompasses the pathways that connect the CNS to the body, whereas the CNS is just the brain and spinal cord, and the autonomic and somatic parts are subdivisions within the peripheral system.