Chiropractic Practice Test 2026 – Complete Exam Prep Guide

Somatic input affecting visceral organs is described by the somatovisceral reflex. Here, sensory information from somatic structures like the skin or skeletal muscles drives responses in visceral effectors such as the heart, gut, or glands through autonomic pathways. This setup contrasts with other categories where the input and output are both somatic (somatosomatic), where visceral input influences somatic systems (viscerosomatic), or where visceral input influences other visceral systems (viscerovisceral). A classic way to understand somatovisceral is to think of a somatic stimulus, like pain or touch, triggering an autonomic response such as a change in heart rate or gut activity.