Sensory neurons carry information to the CNS; motor neurons carry commands to muscles and glands.
Afferent neurons carry impulses toward the CNS and efferent away from it. Cell bodies of sensory neurons lie in dorsal root ganglia. Interneurons connect them within the CNS and are the majority in the brain.
Sensory neurons are pseudounipolar; motor neurons are multipolar. Upper motor neurons begin in the cortex; lower motor neurons project to muscles.
Example: ALS affects both.
Sensory neurons carry information to the CNS; motor neurons carry commands to muscles and glands.
Sensory and Motor Neurons is one of the 54 topics in Neuroscience. It is rated Beginner, so it suits learners who are starting out in biology. Related topics in this area include Visual Cortex Processing, Nervous System, Spinal Cord Functions.
Damage to motor neurons causes paralysis; damage to sensory ones causes numbness.
Sensory and Motor Neurons is a Beginner topic, so no earlier topic is required. Other Beginner topics in Neuroscience that pair well with it include Nervous System, Neuron, Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems.
The closest topics to Sensory and Motor Neurons are Visual Cortex Processing, Nervous System, Spinal Cord Functions, Cerebellum and Motor Learning. Comparing them side by side is a good way to see how the ideas connect.
Read the summary and the in-depth section, then use the quick check on the interactive lesson for Sensory and Motor Neurons. To practise the whole of Neuroscience, use the Neuroscience quiz.
Sensory and Motor Neurons: Sensory neurons carry information to the CNS; motor neurons carry commands to muscles and glands. Visual Cortex Processing: Hierarchical neurons detect edges, motion and objects, as shown by Hubel and Wiesel. Read both side by side and note what each one explains.
First, read the summary and write the definition in your own words. Second, read the in-depth section and note any example. Third, compare it with Visual Cortex Processing and explain the difference aloud. Finally, take the Neuroscience quiz and come back to this page for any question you miss.
Hierarchical neurons detect edges, motion and objects, as shown by Hubel and Wiesel.
🧠 NeuroscienceThe brain, spinal cord and nerves that sense, process and respond to information.
🧠 NeuroscienceRelays signals between brain and body and manages simple reflexes independently.
🧠 NeuroscienceThe cerebellum fine-tunes movement and learns skills through error-based correction.
🧠 Neuroscience