Where are somatic motor nuerons?

Answer 1

This is the part of the nervous system than controls skeletal muscle (and, so, voluntary movements).

Initiation of voluntary movement begins in the cortex of the brain, and involves:

1. Planning and initiation of movement: controlled by the prefrontal cortex, supplementary motor area, premotor cortex and basal ganglia.

2. The message of what you want to do is communicated to the motor cortex.

3. The motor cortex sends the actual nervous impulses to the muscles required to perform the action, as well as a copy to the cerebellum.

4. The Upper Motor Neurons (each neuron corresponds to a 'muscle unit' made up of varying number of muscle fibres) that carry this information travel down through the brainstem and spinal cord (primarily via the corticospinal tract, in the white matter) until they reach the spinal segment corresponding to the muscle(s) they innervate.

5. They synapse with the cell bodies of their corresponding Lower Motor Neurons in the grey matter of the spinal cord, then travel out through the ventral roots to their destination, where they stimulate the muscle fibres to contract.

Throughout muscle movement constant sensory feedback is sent back to the cerebellum, which makes constant adjustments to the movement (via the motor cortex). The cerebellum is responsible for co-ordination.

Answer 2

Motor neurons carry impulses from the brain and spinal cord to muscles or glands. In respons to impulses, muscles contract and glands secrete.
Motor neurons (not neutrons!) activate muscles to cause movement.

Answer 3

The Somatic part of the nervous system is that which controls voluntary movements, so therefore I suspect that a somatic motor neuron would be one which goes to a muscle, and is used voluntarily (unlike a reflex).

Answer 4

A somatic neuron is a structure that connects the internal organs with the central nervous system