Select the best description of the parasympathetic preganglionic neurons:
A) cell bodies are in the lateral gray horns of all thoracic and first two or three lumbar spinal segments
B) axons tend to be short
C) cell bodies are in sympathetic trunk ganglia (vertebral chain ganglia) or prevertebral ganglia
D) cell bodies are in the brain stem nuclei of the oculomotor (III), facial (VII), glossopharyngeal (IX), and vagus (X) nerves
E) axons are unmyelinated

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The parasympathetic preganglionic neurons have their cell bodies located in the brain stem nuclei of cranial nerves III, VII, IX, and X, as well as in the sacral spinal cord segments S2-S4, not in the thoracic or lumbar spinal segments or sympathetic ganglia. Their axons tend to be long, as they extend from the central nervous system to the ganglia close to or within the target organs, contrasting with the sympathetic preganglionic neurons whose axons are generally short.

Select the Best Description of the Parasympathetic Preganglionic Neurons