A11 Nervous System 2 Flashcards
Describe the functional division of nervous system
Somatic nervous system
- voluntary movement (skeletal muscles)
Autonomic nervous system: Sympathetic & parasympathetic nervous system
- unconscious control (smooth & cardiac muscle, exocrine glands)
Explain the role of the hypothalamus
The hypothalamus is the site of central integration of ANS signalling
Compare the general features of the sympathetic & parasympathetic nervous systems
Sympathetic = fear, fight or flight - prepares body for physiological stresses
Parasympathetic = rest & digest, control of functions such as digestion, secretion
What is cranial nerve X
Vagus nerve
Why is the vagus nerve important?
- Chief parasympathetic nerve
- innovates all organs other than those of the head & caudal abdomen/pelvis
Down neck-vago sympathetic trunk
Thorax - supplies heart & lungs
Abdomen - innovates all viscera (except caudal & pelvic)
Describe the distribution & functions of the sympathetic nervous system
Sympathetic nerves exit the CNS via thoracolumbar spinal cord segments
They synapse at sympathetic ganglia
Fear, fight or flight
Prepare the body for physiological stresses
Increase heart rate, vasoconstriction
What is the role of the adrenal medulla?
In response to sympathetic stimulation, the adrenal medulla secretes adrenaline & noradrenaline
What course is taken by sensory & motor neurons as they enter/exit the spinal cord
Dorsal root - sensory fibres enter spinal cord
Ventral root - motor fibres leave spinal cord
Roots merge within spinal canal to form spinal nerve
Spinal nerve conveyed via the intervertebral foreman
