You see a mosquito land on your hand and swat at it. A signal passes through many parts of different neurons to make this happen. Which component of the nervous system is the last to be involved in this process? (1 point)
Responses
axons in motor neurons
axons in motor neurons
dendrites in motor neurons
dendrites in motor neurons
dendrites in sensory neurons
dendrites in sensory neurons
axons in sensory neurons
axons in sensory neurons
The correct answer is axons in motor neurons.
The last component of the nervous system to be involved in the process of swatting at a mosquito landing on your hand is the axons in motor neurons. To understand why, let's break down the process step by step:
1. When a mosquito lands on your hand, specialized sensory neurons called mechanoreceptors in the skin detect this stimulus.
2. The mechanoreceptors convert this physical stimulus into electrical signals, which are then transmitted through their dendrites (branch-like extensions) to the cell body of the sensory neurons.
3. From the cell body, the electrical signals travel further as a result of the axons of the sensory neurons. These axons transmit the signals to the central nervous system (CNS), specifically to the spinal cord.
4. At the spinal cord, the signals are received and processed. Interneurons within the spinal cord communicate with motor neurons.
5. The processed signals are then transmitted from the cell bodies of motor neurons in the spinal cord to their axons.
6. The axons of motor neurons carry the signals from the spinal cord back to the muscles involved in swatting.
7. Finally, the signals reaching the muscles cause the contraction necessary to swat at the mosquito.
So, in summary, the last component of the nervous system involved in this process is the axons in motor neurons, as they transmit the signals from the spinal cord to the muscles for the swatting action.