Which part of the nervous system is responsible for voluntary muscle control?

A. Central nervous system:Meningitis is inflammation of the meninges - the protective membranes (dura, arachnoid, pia) that surround the brain and spinal cord, which are components of the central nervous system (CNS). Symptoms (fever, headache, neck stiffness, photophobia, altered mental status) reflect CNS involvement.

B. Enteric nervous system:The enteric nervous system is localized to the gastrointestinal tract and controls gut function; it is not the site of pathology in meningitis.

C. Autonomic nervous system:While severe CNS infection can secondarily affect autonomic functions (e.g., heart rate, blood pressure), the primary site of meningitis is the CNS meninges, not the autonomic nervous system itself.

D. Peripheral nervous system:The peripheral nervous system is composed of peripheral nerves outside the brain and spinal cord. Meningitis directly affects the CNS coverings, not the peripheral nerves (unless there are rare complications that secondarily involve peripheral nerves).

A. Central nervous system:Sudden focal motor deficits (e.g., inability to move one limb) and speech disturbance typically indicate a lesion in the brain (cerebral cortex, internal capsule, brainstem) or spinal cord - structures of the central nervous system (CNS). Common causes include stroke (ischemic or hemorrhagic), intracerebral hemorrhage, or a space-occupying lesion affecting motor or language areas.

B. Enteric nervous system:The enteric nervous system governs gastrointestinal motility, secretion, and blood flow within the gut. It does notcontrol voluntary limb movement or speech, so it is not responsible for these focal neurological signs.

C. Peripheral nervous system:The peripheral nervous system (PNS) includes peripheral nerves and roots. PNS lesions produce patterns such as peripheral neuropathy, mononeuropathy, or radiculopathy (sensory loss, distal weakness, reflex changes) but rarely cause acute combined limb paralysis plus dysarthria from a single focal lesion affecting both motor cortex and language pathways - that pattern points to CNS pathology.

D. Autonomic nervous system:The autonomic nervous system controls involuntary functions (heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, pupil size). Autonomic dysfunction would not cause isolated sudden motor loss of an arm or slurred speech.