Final answer:
The cell bodies of motor neurons are located in the anterior horns of the spinal cord, also known as the ventral horn. These motor neurons, part of the somatic nervous system, send signals to skeletal muscles for contraction.
Step-by-step explanation:
The cell bodies of motor neurons are found in the anterior horns of the spinal cord. Specifically, the anterior horn, also referred to as the ventral horn, contains large, multipolar motor neurons that are responsible for initiating muscle contractions.
Within the ventral horn, these neurons exhibit a crown of dendrites surrounding the cell body; their axons then extend through the ventral nerve root and join the emerging spinal nerve. These axons are notable for their length, necessary to reach peripheral muscles, and the diameter of their cell bodies is sized appropriately to support these long axons. For instance, motor neurons innervating foot muscles have axons that can be a meter long.
In the spinal cord's cross-section, the gray matter resembles a bulbous 'H,' where the anterior horn sends motor signals to skeletal muscles. Meanwhile, the somatic nervous system strictly provides output to these muscles via the ventral horn's motor neurons. This elaborate system ensures that skeletal muscles can efficiently perform their essential functions in response to signals from the central nervous system.