Disorders that Affect Somatic Nervous System
Somatic Nervous System is part of the Peripheral Nervous System. They are not part of the Central Nervous System. This means they don’t belong to the brain & spinal cord. But they are the most important for sensing the stimulus & performing certain tasks. Some common diseases are:
- Muscular Dystrophy: Genetic disorders characterized by progressive muscle weakness and degeneration due to defective genes that interfere with muscle protein production.
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS): Neurodegenerative disease affecting motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord, leading to muscle weakness, paralysis, and eventual respiratory failure.
- Myasthenia Gravis: Autoimmune disorder causing weakness and fatigue in voluntary muscles due to antibodies blocking acetylcholine receptors at the neuromuscular junction, impairing muscle contraction.
- Spinal Cord Injury: Traumatic damage to the spinal cord resulting from accidents or injuries, leading to paralysis, loss of sensation, and impaired motor function below the injury site.
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS): Autoimmune condition causing inflammation and damage to the myelin sheath covering nerve fibers in the CNS, disrupting communication between the brain and muscles, leading to weakness, numbness, and coordination problems.
- Peripheral Neuropathy: Damage or dysfunction of peripheral nerves, resulting in symptoms such as muscle weakness, numbness, tingling, and pain, often caused by diabetes, infections, or toxins.
- Cerebral Palsy: Neurodevelopmental disorder affecting movement and muscle coordination due to damage or abnormal development of the brain’s motor control centers, occurring before, during, or shortly after birth.
Somatic Nervous System
The somatic nervous system (SNS) controls voluntary movements and reflex arcs by transmitting sensory information to the central nervous system (CNS) and motor commands from the CNS to skeletal muscles. It consists of motor neurons that stimulate muscle contractions and sensory neurons that relay information from sensory organs. The SNS enables conscious control over bodily movements and responds to external stimuli. It plays an important role in activities such as walking, grasping, and reflex actions.
In this article, we will study the somatic nervous system, its components, functions, mechanism of action and disorders in detail.
Table of Content
- What is the Somatic Nervous System?
- What is Somatic Nervous System Made of?
- Components of the Somatic Nervous System
- Sensory Neurons
- Motor Neurons
- Neuromuscular Junctions
- Sensory Receptors
- Spinal Cord
- Brainstem and Motor Cortex
- Cranial Nerves
- Types of Somatic Nervous System
- 1. Afferent (Sensory) Nerves
- 2. Efferent (Motor) Nerves
- 3. Interneurons
- Importance of the Somatic Nervous System
- Difference Between SNS and ANS
- Mechanism of Somatic Nervous System
- Somatic Nervous System Functions
- Disorders that Affect Somatic Nervous System
- Symptoms of Somatic Nervous System Disorders
- Treatments for Somatic Nervous System Disorders