What type of nerve fibers transmit signals from the spinal cord to muscles?

Efferent nerve fibers are responsible for transmitting signals from the spinal cord to the muscles. This pathways carry motor commands that initiate muscle contractions, enabling movement. When a signal travels along these motor neurons, it delineates the process by which the central nervous system communicates with the peripheral muscular system.

Afferent fibers, on the other hand, carry sensory information from the body back to the spinal cord and brain, which is critical for processing sensations but is not involved in sending motor commands to muscles. Interneurons act as connectors within the central nervous system, facilitating communication between sensory and motor pathways, but they do not directly execute muscle movement. The autonomic nervous system is responsible for involuntary functions, such as heart rate and digestion, and while it can influence smooth muscle, it does not directly control skeletal muscle movement in the context of this question. Thus, efferent fibers are the specific type of nerve fibers that facilitate the essential communication for muscle contraction.