Explore the Biological Bases of Behavior Test. Prepare with engaging flashcards and multiple choice questions, each featuring explanations. Start practicing today!

Multiple Choice

Which term describes bundles of axons outside the CNS that carry messages to and from the spinal cord?

Bundles of axons that lie outside the central nervous system are called nerves. In the peripheral nervous system, many axons travel together in a nerve, carrying sensory information toward the spinal cord and motor commands away from it. Inside the CNS, the equivalent bundles are called tracts, not nerves. The other terms describe different things: neural circuits are networks of interconnected neurons; nuclei are clusters of neuron cell bodies in the CNS; ganglia are clusters of neuron cell bodies in the PNS. So for bundles of axons outside the CNS that carry messages to and from the spinal cord, the correct term is nerves.

Bundles of axons that lie outside the central nervous system are called nerves. In the peripheral nervous system, many axons travel together in a nerve, carrying sensory information toward the spinal cord and motor commands away from it. Inside the CNS, the equivalent bundles are called tracts, not nerves. The other terms describe different things: neural circuits are networks of interconnected neurons; nuclei are clusters of neuron cell bodies in the CNS; ganglia are clusters of neuron cell bodies in the PNS. So for bundles of axons outside the CNS that carry messages to and from the spinal cord, the correct term is nerves.