Question

Compare the somatic and autonomic nervous systems. Be as detailed as you can in your answer.

Answer 1

Comparison of somatic and autonomic nervous system..

Autonomic nervous system has two sub component while somatic have only one.

Autonomic nervous system targets cardiac and smooth muscles of the body and glandular tissues and controls the internal organs of the body and muscles and are involuntary.

Somatic nervous system are solely related to the skeletal muscles they use to control external movements and actions and are under voluntary control.

Autonomic nervous system is involved in feeding fighting response of the body and reproduction and somatic is involved in external movement of body.

Somatic nervous system has only single reflex arc from effector neuron to the spinal cord while autonomic nervous system has two with effector site or neuron to ganglion then to synapse and post ganglionic netron to effector.

Somatic is 100% dependent of neuron while autonomic is not 100% dependent.

Somatic effector is skeletal muscle while autonomic effector is cardiac muscle smooth muscle and a glands.

In somatic nervous system all inhibition occurs in brain or spinal cord and in autonomic nervous system inhibition occurs in either CNS ganglion or at the effector site.

Nerve conduction of somatic nervous system is fast myelinated and alpha motor neurons and in autonomic nervous system is slow myelinated beta motor neuron

Stimulus rate is high in somatic and low in autonomic.