autonomic and somatic motor control Flashcards
autonomic nervous system
reflecting its control over involuntary functions and internal organs
sympathetic branch
associated with the fight or flight, preparing the body for stressful situations by increasing heart rate, dilating blood vessels to muscles and producing glucose
hypothalamus
mediates the total-body response in fight or flight situation
where is sensory information from somatosensory and visceral receptors sent?
to homeostatic control centers in the hypothalamus, pons and medulla (regulates blood pressure, temperature, and water balance
what receptors does the hypothalamus contain to monitor osmolarity and the body temperature
osmoreceptors and thermoreceptors
where does nicotine bind to
nictotinic acetylcholine receptors
walter cannon’s properties of homeostasis
preservation of internal environment fitness, up-down regulation by tonic control, antagonistic control, and chemical signals with different effect in different tissues (sympathetic and parasympathetic branches exhibit this)
sympathetic innervation
increases heart rate
parasympathetic stimulation
decreases heart rate
all autonomic pathways consist of two neurons
the preganglionic neuron and the postganlionic neuron
postganglionic neuron
has its cell body in the ganglion and projects its axon to the target tissue
preganglionic neuron
originates in the CNS and projects to an autonomic ganglion outside the CNS
ganglion
is a cluster or nerve cell bodies outside the CNS while the nucleus is the equivalent structure within the CNS
divergence is a key feature of autonomic pathways
where one preganglionic neuron can synapse with multiple postganglionic neurons, allowing a single CNS signal to affect many target cells
sympathetic pathways originate in
the thoracic and lumbar regions of the spinal cord
sympathetic ganglia
are located in two chains along either side of the vertebral column and along the descending aorta, they have short preganglionic neurons and lost postganglionic neurons
parasympathetic originates
in the sacral region and control pelvic organs
parasympathetic ganglia are located
near their target organs, resulting in long preganglionic axons and short postganglionic axons; targets the head, neck and internal organs
the vagus nerve
(cranial nerve X) is the major parasympathetic tract, containing about 75% of all parasympathetic fibers; carries sensory information from internal organs to the brain and parasympathetic output from the brain to organs
vagotomy
the surgical cutting of the vagus nerve, was historically used to study the autonomic nervous system effcts
mixed nerve
a nerve that carries both sensory and motor information
what are the four regions of the spinal cord
cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral
both sympathetic and parasympathetic preganglionic release
acetylcholine (ACh) onto nicotinic cholinergic receptors (nAChR) on the postganglionic cell
what do most postganglionic sympathetic neurons secrete
norepinephrine (NE) onto adrenergic receptors on the target cell
what do most postganglionic parasympathetic neurons secrete
acetylcholine onto muscarinic cholinergic receptors (mAChR) on the target cell
sympathetic cholinergic neurons
sympathetic postganglionic neurons those terminating on sweat glands, secret ACh instead of norepinephrine
nonadrenergic, noncholinergic neurons are classiffied as sympathetic or parasympathetic based on
the origin of their preganglionic fibers
autonomic neurons target
smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, exocrine glands, some endocrine glands, lymphoid tissues, the liver, and some adipose tissue
neuroeffector junction
the synapse between a postganglionic autonomic neurons and its target cell
autonomic synapses vs. synapses
postganglionic axons end in a series of swollen areas called varicosities
varicosities
contain vesicles filled with neurotranmitters
preganglionic neurons
may co-secrete neuropeptides with acetylcholine, acting as neuromodulators to produce slow synaptic potentials and modify postganglionic neuron activity
adrenal medulla
specialized neuroendocrine tissue associated with the sympathetic nervous system
the adrenal medulla
forms the core of the adrenal glands, which are located atop the kidneys
each adrenal gland consists of two parts
the adrenal cortex (secretes steroid hormones) and the adrenal medulla (secretes epinephrine)
the adrenal medulla
develops from the same embryonic tissue as sympathetic neurons and is considered a neurosecretory structure
chromaffin cells
lack axons, secrete the neurohormone epinephrine into the blood
the release of epinephrine by the adrenal medulla is part of the body’s
fight or flight response to alarm signals from the CNS
direct agonists and anatgonists
interact with target receptors to mimic of block neurotransmitter action
indirect agonists and antagonists alter
neurotransmitter secretion, reuptake or degradation (EX: cocaine blocks norepinephrine reuptake, extending its excitatory effect and potentially causing heart attacks due to sympathetic induce vasocontriction) (antidepressants are indirect agonists)
cholinesterase inhibitors (anticholinesterases) block ACh degradation, extending the active life of ACh molecules.
symptoms include excessie stimulation of autonomic and somatic motor target tissues
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
have fewer autonomic side effects compared to older antidepressants (newer antidepressants may influence both norepinephrine and serotonin action)
somatic motor pathways
control skeletal muscles and differ from autonomic pathways in both anatomy and function
somatic motor pathways consists of a
single neuron originating in the CNS that projects its axons to the target tissue, which is always a skeletal muscle
somatic pathways are always
excitatory, whereas ANS can be either excitatory or inhibitory
the cell bodies of somatic neurons are located in
the ventral horn of the spinal cord or in the brain
these neurons have a
long single axon that projects to the skeletal muscle target
somatic motor neurons branch near
their targets, with each branch dividing into a cluster of enlarged axon terminals on the surface of skeletal muscle fibers (enables a single motor neuron to control muscle fibers simultaneously)
neuromuscular junction (NMJ)
is the synapse between a somatic motor neuron and a muscle fiber
NMJ consists of three main components:
the presynaptic axon terminal of the motor neuron, the synaptic cleft, and the postsynaptic membrane of the skeletal muscle fiber
the presynaptic axon terminal contains
synaptic vesicles and mitochondria
what is essential for the formation and maintenance of NMJs
schwann cells to cover the axon terminals and secret chemical signal molecules
the postsynaptic membrane
has folds resembling shallow gutters
nicotinic ACh receptor (nAChR) channels
are clustered in an active zone along the upper edge of each fold
the synaptic cleft
is filled with a fibrous matrix containing collagen fibers that align the axon terminal and motor end plate
the matrix
also contains acetylcholinesterase (AChE), an enzyme that deactivated acetylcholine (ACh) by braking it down into acetyl and choline
skeletal muscles make up
about 40% of total body weight and are responsible for positioning and moving the skeleton
skeletal muscles are attached to bone by..
tendons made of collagen
the origin of the muscle
is the end attached closest to the trunk or the more stationary bone
the insertion is
the more distal or mobile attachment
contraction of skeletal muscles
moves the skeleton when the bone are connected by flexible joint
a muscle is called a flexor
if it brings the centers of connected bones closer together during contraction, resulting in flexion
a muscle is called an extensor
if it moves the bones away from each other during contraction, resulting in extension
antagonistic muscles
both have flexor and extensor muscles that exert opposite effects (bicep is flexor and tricep is extensor)