By OpenStax – https://cnx.org/contents/FPtK1zmh@8.25:fEI3C8Ot@10/Preface, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30147919

First, sensory nerves in the skin detect a signal that is sent down the sensory axon. The action potential enters the spnal cord and talks wihthe brain, projecting the signal to the thalamus. At the cerebral cortex, perception is interpreteted and an upper motor neuron signals a motor command. The signal is then sent through the spinal cord and through a motor neuron causing skeletal contraction.