The ventral horn contains which type of neurons?

The ventral horn contains which type of neurons?

• A. Autonomic multipolar motor neurons
• B. Pseudounipolar sensory neurons
• C. Somatic multipolar motor neurons
• D. Interneurons

Answer: (C)

The ventral (anterior) horn of the spinal cord gray matter houses motor neurons that control skeletal muscles. These are somatic motor neurons, and they are multipolar—with several dendrites and a single, long axon—designed to receive various inputs and send precise signals to muscles for voluntary movement. Autonomic multipolar motor neurons sit in the lateral horns and autonomic ganglia, not in the ventral horn. Pseudounipolar sensory neurons are located in the dorsal root ganglia and carry sensory information toward the spinal cord, not motor commands. Interneurons are present in gray matter too, but the defining population in the ventral horn is the somatic motor neurons.

The ventral (anterior) horn of the spinal cord gray matter houses motor neurons that control skeletal muscles. These are somatic motor neurons, and they are multipolar—with several dendrites and a single, long axon—designed to receive various inputs and send precise signals to muscles for voluntary movement. Autonomic multipolar motor neurons sit in the lateral horns and autonomic ganglia, not in the ventral horn. Pseudounipolar sensory neurons are located in the dorsal root ganglia and carry sensory information toward the spinal cord, not motor commands. Interneurons are present in gray matter too, but the defining population in the ventral horn is the somatic motor neurons.