What are the organs of the peripheral nervous system?

• A. Brain and spinal cord
• B. Nerves and ganglia
• C. Neurons
• D. Synapses

Answer: (B)

The pivotal idea is that the peripheral nervous system consists of structures located outside the brain and spinal cord that connect the body to the central nervous system. In this system, the organs are nerves and ganglia. Nerves are bundles of nerve fibers that carry signals to and from the CNS, and ganglia are clusters of neuronal cell bodies that process and relay information in the periphery. The brain and spinal cord belong to the central nervous system, not the peripheral. Neurons are the cells that make up these structures, while synapses are the junctions between neurons—important, but not organs themselves. So nerves and ganglia are the organs of the peripheral nervous system.