Anyone to answer this question?

[purplefrog]

hi there.

i'm probably posting this in the wrong section but i couldn't find a physiology section. Anyway, the question is about the somatic nervous system. I read that this is a division of the Efferent part of the PNS (peripheral nervous system). The somatic, as opposed to the autonomic controls Skeletal muscle, and is therefore thought to be Voluntary. In contrast, the Autonomic nervous system controls smooth muscle, under Involuntary control. Question: If reflex arcs (or reflexes) are controlled by the AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM, why is it making use of skeletal muscle?

If you place your hand on a hot stove, the motor commands come from the AUTONOMIC nervous system right? YET, they supply muscles (in the arm to withdraw the hand from the heat) that we normally control consiously> in other words VOLUNTARY.

The response was activated by the ANS, and was therefore automatic, but the muscles supplied by these motor commands were skeletal muscles? Can someone explain this (contradition) or perhaps correct my wrong thinking?

thank you

[PK14]

The reflex arc doesnt involve autonomic nerves. The arc works by transfering the action potential from the somatic sensory nerve directly onto the somatic motor nerve without sending signals to the brain. The action potential travels up the nerve to the posterior root (sensory roots) of the spine then transfers directly to the anterior root of the spinal cord to travel back to the muscle through somatic motor nerves without having to confere with the brain. Thats why youl take your hand off something hot without thinking.

[Tess_Tickles]

Yeah, what he said.

[eminem_89]

hi look this action is controlled by the spinal cord and it is unvoluntary there is some neurones in the spinal cord control it