What are efferent nerves also known as?

Efferent nerves are also known as motor nerves because they are responsible for carrying signals away from the central nervous system to muscles and glands, thereby facilitating movement and action. When the central nervous system sends a command for a muscle to contract or a gland to secrete, it uses efferent (motor) neurons to transmit that signal. This is critical for voluntary movements and reflex actions, making the role of motor nerves fundamental in the peripheral nervous system.

While the other options refer to different types of nerve functions—sensory nerves are involved in transmitting sensory information to the central nervous system, autonomic nerves regulate involuntary bodily functions like heart rate and digestion, and cranial nerves are specific nerves that emerge directly from the brain—none of them accurately describe the function of efferent nerves. Therefore, motor nerves is the most precise term to describe efferent nerves.