The nervous system communicates with muscles by sending messages. The peripheral nervous system, consisting of cranial nerves from the brain and spinal nerves from the spinal cord, facilitates communication between the central nervous system and other parts of the body.

The spinal cord has functions beyond reflex action, as it is made up of nerves that supply information for thinking.

A connection between nerves that detect a stimulus and nerves that control muscle movement is commonly referred to as a reflex arc.

The best place for reflex arc connections between input and output nerves is at the point where they first meet each other, and this often occurs in the spinal cord.

Reflex arcs have evolved in animals because the thinking process of the brain is not fast enough. They are formed in the spinal cord, where nerves from various parts of the body converge on their way to the brain. Even ...