Question

What is the primary difference between the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system?.

Answer 1

Answer:The somatic nervous system allows us to consciously control our skeletal muscles, and the autonomic nervous system controls activity that humans cannot consciously control, such as the pumping of the heart and the movement of food through the digestive tract.

Answer 2

The peripheral nervous system consists of nerves that must travel outside of the brain and spinal cord in order to contact organs, glands, and muscles. Under the umbrella of the peripheral nervous system are the somatic and autonomic nervous systems. The somatic nervous system is responsible for controlling voluntary movements during activities such as walking while the autonomic nervous system regulates involuntary tasks such as food digestion. More specifically, the somatic division mediates voluntary or reflexive control of skeletal muscles while the autonomic nervous system is responsible for the involuntary and reflexive control of glands, organ smooth muscle, and cardiac muscle.