If the ventral root of a spinal nerve were cut, what would be the result in the tissue or region that nerve supplies?
A) a complete loss of voluntary movement
B) a complete loss of sensation
C) loss of neither sensation nor movement but only of autonomic control
D) a complete loss of sensation and movement

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The ventral root of a spinal nerve contains motor (efferent) fibers that are responsible for conveying impulses from the central nervous system to effectors (muscles and glands). Cutting the ventral root would interrupt these motor signals, leading to a loss of voluntary movement in the muscles supplied by that nerve. Sensory (afferent) fibers, which carry sensory information to the central nervous system, travel through the dorsal root, so sensation would not be affected by cutting the ventral root.

If the Ventral Root of a Spinal Nerve Were Cut