Which system is involuntary and controls smooth and cardiac muscles and glands?

Which system is involuntary and controls smooth and cardiac muscles and glands?

• A. Somatic Nervous System
• B. Central Nervous System
• C. Autonomic Nervous System
• D. Peripheral Nervous System

Answer: (C)

The Autonomic Nervous System is the part of the nervous system that operates automatically, without conscious thought, and it regulates the body's internal organs. It controls smooth muscles in places like the digestive tract and blood vessels, as well as the heart (cardiac muscle) and glands, adjusting functions such as digestion and heart rate. It has two main branches, the sympathetic and parasympathetic, that work together to prepare the body for action and then calm it back down. This differs from the somatic nervous system, which handles voluntary movement of skeletal muscles, and from the central nervous system, which includes the brain and spinal cord as the processing center. The peripheral nervous system includes all nerves outside the CNS, but the system that specifically governs involuntary control of organs is the autonomic nervous system.

The Autonomic Nervous System is the part of the nervous system that operates automatically, without conscious thought, and it regulates the body's internal organs. It controls smooth muscles in places like the digestive tract and blood vessels, as well as the heart (cardiac muscle) and glands, adjusting functions such as digestion and heart rate. It has two main branches, the sympathetic and parasympathetic, that work together to prepare the body for action and then calm it back down. This differs from the somatic nervous system, which handles voluntary movement of skeletal muscles, and from the central nervous system, which includes the brain and spinal cord as the processing center. The peripheral nervous system includes all nerves outside the CNS, but the system that specifically governs involuntary control of organs is the autonomic nervous system.