1 ANS Intro Flashcards
The peripheral nervous system is divided into what two major subdivisions?
Autonomic and Somatic
The _______ division is independent of conscious thought or control
Autonomic
Autonomic pathways originate in the:
Brain or Spinal Cord
Autonomic pathways involve a __________ nerve and a ___________ nerve, connected in series by a ___________.
A PREGANGLIONIC nerve and POSTGANGLIONIC nerve connected by a GANGLION
In the __________ system, there is no peripheral ganglia.
Somatic nervous system
A single motor neuron projects from the CNS directly to the skeletal muscle
The ANS is subdivided into:
The PARASYMPATHETIC, or craniosacral division, and
the SYMPATHETIC, or thoracolumbar division
The parasympathetic nerves leave the spinal cord with…
With the cranial and sacral nerves (hence the “craniosacral” name)
The sympathetic pathways leave the CNS…
From the spinal cord at thoracic and lumbar levels (hence the “thoracolumbar” name)
ANS fibers leaving the brain stem or spinal cord terminate in ___________.
Autonomic ganglia
Autonomic ganglia contain the nerve endings of ____________ fibers and the cell bodies of __________ fibers.
Pre-ganglionic, post-ganglionic
All pre-ganglionic fibers release the neurotransmitter ____________ onto ____________ receptors in the autonomic ganglia.
Acetylcholine, nicotinic receptors
Describe the pathway of parasympathetic innervation
Pre-ganglionic fibers leave the CNS with the CRANIAL nerves and the third and fourth SACRAL spinal roots.
The pre-ganglionic fibers may terminate on ganglia located in the wall of an innervated organ, on diffuse ganglia, or on autonomic ganglia outside the innervated organ.
Postganglionic parasympathic fibers are very ______ compared to those in the sympathetic system.
Short
Both pre- and post-ganglionic neurons in the parasympathetic system release ….
Acetylcholine
Describe the pathway of sympathetic innervation
Pre-ganglionic fibers leave the CNS with THORACIC and LUMBAR spinal nerves. Cell bodies are in the LATERAL horn of the gray matter in the thoracic and lumbar spinal cord.
Most of the pre-ganglionic fibers terminate in ganglia in the PARAVERTEBRAL chains, which run alongside the spinal column.
Broad interconnections provided by the paravertebral chains allow the whole sympathetic system to …
Activate in a coordinated discharge
Post-ganglionic sympathetic fibers project to various tissues and are ________ than those in the parasympathetic system.
Longer
The majority of post-ganglionic fibers release _________, except for ….
Most release norepinephrine (NE) except:
Sweat glands release acetylcholine (ACh)
Renal vasculature releases dopamine
Adrenal medulla releases epinephrine
The main neurotransmitters involved in the autonomic nervous system:
Acetylcholine (ACh), norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA)
All pre-ganglionic fibers of both the parasympathetic and sympathetic systems are _________.
Cholinergic, i.e. they release ACh, which acts on nicotinic receptors in the ganglion.
Post-ganglionic fibers of the parasympathetic system are _____________, releasing _________, which acts on ___________ receptors.
Cholinergic —> release ACh —> act on muscarinic receptors.
Post-ganglionic fibers in the sympathetic system are primarily ______________, and release ______, which acts on ____________ receptors
Noradrenergic —> release NE —> acts on alpha and beta receptors
The sympathetic post-ganglionic innervation of ___________ is cholinergic, with ACh stimulating muscarinic receptors, even though these neurons are considered sympathetic.
Sweat glands
Sympathetic neurons to the _____________ release dopamine
Renal vascular smooth muscle
Innervation to the adrenal medulla from the spinal cord is ___________, with ______ acting on a __________ receptor to cause release of _____________.
Cholinergic —> ACh acts on nicotinic receptor —> releases Epinephrine
____________ released from the adrenal medulla circulates in the body and acts on both alpha and beta receptors.
Epinephrine (Epi)
Motor neurons to the skeletal muscle are ____________, with ________ acting on ________ receptors
Cholinergic —> ACh acts on nicotinic receptors
Blood vessels receive _________ innervation but not __________.
Sympathetic but not parasympathetic.
Blood vessel tone is predominantly sympathetic.
The _____________ are innervated by neurons from the sympathetic chain that release _________.
Sweat glands, ACh
The parasympathetic system has been called __________, meaning it facilitates growth
Trophotropic
It’s the “rest and digest” system.
Parasympathetic stimulation causes:
Slowing of the heart
Increased secretion of saliva and gastric acid
Increased GI activity, promoting digestion
Relaxation of sphincters, promoting elimination
Pupils and ciliary muscles both contract —> accommodation
The sympathetic system is designed so that it can…
Fire all at once
In the sympathetic system, there is a nearly ______ ratio of pre- to post-ganglionic innervation
1:20 —> allowing for massive activation of the whole system at once.
The sympathetic system is referred to as ________, meaning facilitating energy expenditure.
Ergotropic - it allows for “fight or flight”
Sympathetic stimulation causes:
Heart to beat more rapidly and CO increases
Blood vessels supplying skeletal muscles relax, allowing for more blood flow to muscles
Blood vessels to the skin constrict, reducing bleeding in response to energy
Bronchioles dilate, allowing for easier breathing
GI system less active, sphincters contract
Pupils dilate, ciliary muscles relax (distance vision)
Glycogenolysis and gluconeogensis are stimulated, lipolysis occurs and renin released from kidney
Acetylcholine is formed from …
Cholinergic and acetyl CoA by the enzyme choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)
ACh is stored in _______ within the nerve terminal
Synaptic vesicles
The action of ACh within the synaptic cleft is rapidly terminated via …
Hydrolysis by acetylcholinesterase (AChE), which converts ACh back into choline and acetate
What happens to choline after ACh is broken down by AChE?
It is taken back up into the nerve terminals and recycled back into ACh.