Which actions are functions of the somatic nervous system? Check all that apply.

regulates involuntary activities

increases heart rate and blood pressure

relays information to and from internal organs

stimulates digestion

regulates voluntary activities

relays information to and from skin and skeletal muscles

The somatic nervous system regulates voluntary activities and relays information to and from skin and skeletal muscles.

The right answers are 5 and 6.

The somatic nervous system is part of the peripheral nervous system (part of the nervous system consisting of nerves and ganglia, and whose essential role is the transmission of information between the central nervous system - brain and spinal cord - and organs). It intervenes in the voluntary control of movements (or involuntary movements in case of reflexes, but this is different from the involuntary activities) (efferent fibers) and in the perception of external stimuli (afferent fibers).

The somatic nervous system controls the movements of skeletal muscle (which are generally voluntary) and the environmental perception, (think to the arc reflex).

The involuntary activities (proposition 1) mean automatisms like the heartbeat, respiration, secretions of hormones or sweat ...