While standing outside talking with a friend in the summer, you notice a burning sensation on your shoulder and realize a sunburn. What is responsible for sending signals of the burning sensation within your nervous system?

Question

While standing outside talking with a friend in the summer, you notice a burning sensation on your shoulder and realize a sunburn. What is responsible for sending signals of the burning sensation within your nervous system?

a. Motor response
b. Efferent signals
c. Afferent signals
d. Glial cells

Answer 1

c. Afferent signals

Afferent signals are responsible for sending sensory information from the body's periphery to the central nervous system. In this case, the burning sensation on your shoulder is detected by sensory receptors in your skin and transmitted via afferent signals to your brain, alerting you to the sunburn.