97.3k views
2 votes
What are large layer V spindle neurons considered to be responsible for?

User Remona
by
8.3k points

1 Answer

0 votes

Final answer:

Large layer V spindle neurons in the spinal cord's ventral horn are crucial for initiating muscle strength and voluntary movement by triggering skeletal muscle contraction.

Step-by-step explanation:

Large layer V spindle neurons, typically found in the ventral horn of the spinal cord, are responsible for initiating muscle strength and voluntary movement. These multipolar motor neurons trigger the contraction of skeletal muscles. For example, the motor neuron controlling the big toe originates in the sacral spinal cord, and its axon may extend a meter in length to reach the muscle it innervates. The diameter of such a neuron's cell body can be several hundred micrometers to sustain the long axon required.

The neural circuitry facilitated by these neurons is part of a two-cell projection system, starting from the precentral gyrus in the frontal lobe and culminating in the skeletal muscles. This system includes the corticospinal tract where fibers transmit signals initiating from the primary motor cortex and synapse on the ventral horn motor neurons These neurons are part of the lower motor neuron (LMN) category and engage in activities controlled by the somatic nervous system – primarily the output strictly to skeletal muscles.

User Divye Shah
by
8.4k points