Identify the four main divisions of the peripheral nervous system and explain each one’s function.

Answer:

The four divisions are: (1) the somatic nervous system, which carries sensory information and controls voluntary skeletal-muscle movement; (2) the autonomic nervous system, which regulates involuntary functions such as heartbeat, digestion, breathing, and gland activity; (3) the sympathetic nervous system, which arouses the body for action and uses energy during stress; and (4) the parasympathetic nervous system, which calms the body and conserves energy. The autonomic system consists of the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions.