Final answer:
The statement is true; upper motor neurons do synapse on lower motor neurons in the ventral horn of the spinal cord, facilitating skeletal muscle contractions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that upper motor neurons synapse with the cell bodies of lower motor neurons in the ventral horn of the spinal cord is true. Upper motor neurons, with their cell bodies in the primary motor cortex, travel down the corticospinal tract and eventually synapse on the lower motor neurons located in the ventral, or anterior, horn of the spinal cord. These lower motor neurons are responsible for the contraction of skeletal muscles. They possess long axons that project out of the ventral horn and travel through the ventral nerve root to join the emerging spinal nerve, thereby allowing them to connect to muscles at neuromuscular junctions.