Parasympathetic nerves that go to the heart are carried:

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The question asks where parasympathetic nerves that innervate the heart are carried.
Option 1: 'in the autonomic branches of lumbar spinal nerves.' This is incorrect because the parasympathetic division does not arise from lumbar spinal nerves; the lumbar region is primarily associated with sympathetic outflow to the abdomen and pelvis, not intrinsic cardiac parasympathetic supply.
Option 2: 'in a cervical nerve that has branches in the thorax.' While cervical nerves contribute to some autonomic fibers, the heart receives parasympathetic input mainly via a cranial nerve, not from cervical spinal nerves, making this choice inaccurate for the heart’s parasympathetic innervation.
Option 3: 'in the autonomic branches of thoracic spinal nerves.' Thoracic spinal nerves contain sympathetic fibers and some visceral afferents, but the heart’s parasympathetic supply does not travel in thoracic spinal autonomic branches; parasympathetic fibers to the heart do not originate here, so this is incorrect.
Option 4: 'in a cranial nerve that has branches in the thorax.' This is correct because the heart is innervated parasympathetically by the vagus nerve (cranial nerve X), which has branches that extend into the thorax to reach the heart and other thoracic organs.
In summary, the parasympathetic supply to the heart travels with a cranial nerve (the vagus) that has thoracic branches, rather than through lumbar, cervical, or thoracic spinal autonomic branches. The key distinction is cranial nerve origin for cardiac parasympathetic fibers versus spinal origins for many other autonomic pathways. The incorrect options misplace the anatomical source of these parasympathetic fibers or misstate the regions involved in cardiac innervation.

ANAT20006_2025_SM1 ADSL 1 Test : Nervous System

Parasympathetic nerves that go to the heart are carried:

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