Which division of the peripheral nervous system controls the body's skeletal muscles?

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Multiple Choice

Which division of the peripheral nervous system controls the body's skeletal muscles?

The somatic nervous system is the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls voluntary movement of the body's skeletal muscles. It carries motor commands from the brain to skeletal muscles and brings sensory information from the skin and joints back to the brain. Motor signals travel through neurons that synapse directly onto muscle fibers at neuromuscular junctions, triggering contraction with acetylcholine. This system is largely under conscious control, though reflexes can operate without conscious input. The autonomic nervous system, by contrast, handles involuntary functions like heart rate, digestion, and gland activity, affecting smooth muscle and glands rather than skeletal muscle.

The somatic nervous system is the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls voluntary movement of the body's skeletal muscles. It carries motor commands from the brain to skeletal muscles and brings sensory information from the skin and joints back to the brain. Motor signals travel through neurons that synapse directly onto muscle fibers at neuromuscular junctions, triggering contraction with acetylcholine. This system is largely under conscious control, though reflexes can operate without conscious input. The autonomic nervous system, by contrast, handles involuntary functions like heart rate, digestion, and gland activity, affecting smooth muscle and glands rather than skeletal muscle.

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