Which signals will get disrupted in case of a spinal cord injury?
In case of a spinal cord injury, the signals that will get disrupted are the incoming sensory signals from all parts of the body to the brain and the outgoing motor signals from the brain to different parts of the body.
The spinal cord is made up of nerves which supply information to think about. Nerves from all over the body meet in a bundle in the spinal cord on their way to the brain. The brain and spinal cord together constitute the central nervous system, which receives information from all parts of the body and integrates it.
Additionally, reflex arcs formed in the spinal cord will also be disrupted. Since reflex arcs are connections made between input nerves and output nerves in the spinal cord itself, a spinal cord injury would prevent the quick reflex responses that normally occur without involving the brain.
Explanation
According to the textbook context, the spinal cord serves as a crucial pathway for nerve signals. It states that 'nerves from all over the body meet in a bundle in the spinal cord on their way to the brain' and that 'the brain and spinal cord constitute the central nervous system' which 'receive information from all parts of the body and integrate it.' The context also explains that reflex arcs are 'formed in this spinal cord itself.' Therefore, a spinal cord injury would disrupt both the sensory signals traveling to the brain, the motor signals traveling from the brain to muscles, and the reflex arc connections.