Questions: Upper motor neurons can be described as having cell bodies in the cerebral cortex, communicating with neurons in the spinal cord, conducting messages upward to the brain, having cell bodies in the anterior horns of the spinal cord.

The answer is the first two options:

• having cell bodies in the cerebral cortex
• communicating with neurons in the spinal cord

Explanation for each option:

1. Having cell bodies in the cerebral cortex: This is correct. Upper motor neurons (UMNs) are primarily located in the motor cortex of the brain, which is part of the cerebral cortex. They originate here and send their axons down to the spinal cord.

2. Communicating with neurons in the spinal cord: This is correct. Upper motor neurons send their axons down through the brainstem and into the spinal cord, where they synapse with lower motor neurons (LMNs) or interneurons in the spinal cord.

3. Conducting messages upward to the brain: This is incorrect. Upper motor neurons conduct motor commands from the brain downward to the spinal cord, not upward. Sensory neurons are responsible for conducting messages upward to the brain.

4. Having cell bodies in the anterior horns of the spinal cord: This is incorrect. The cell bodies of upper motor neurons are located in the cerebral cortex, not in the anterior horns of the spinal cord. The anterior horns of the spinal cord contain the cell bodies of lower motor neurons.

Summary: Upper motor neurons have cell bodies in the cerebral cortex and communicate with neurons in the spinal cord. They do not conduct messages upward to the brain, nor do they have cell bodies in the anterior horns of the spinal cord.