When the dorsal root of a spinal nerve is cut,
A)the organism is killed.
B)incoming sensory nerve impulses are lost.
C)outgoing motor nerve impulses are lost.
D)incoming motor nerve impulses are lost.
E)impulses do not cross over to the other side of the body.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The dorsal root of a spinal nerve contains the incoming sensory nerve fibers that carry information from the body to the spinal cord. Cutting the dorsal root would result in the loss of these incoming sensory nerve impulses, as they would no longer be able to travel to the spinal cord. However, outgoing motor nerve impulses would still be able to travel from the spinal cord to the body via the ventral root of the spinal nerve.

When the Dorsal Root of a Spinal Nerve Is Cut