Autonomic Nervous System 1 Flashcards
What are the functions of the sympathetic nervous system?
Fight or flight
Stressful situations
Increase in blood flow to the skeletal muscle
Increase in heart rate
Increase in blood pressure
Increase in blood sugar level
Pupillary dilation (myadriasis)
What are the functions of the sympathetic nervous system?
Conservation and restoration / rest and digest
Decrease in heart rate
Increase in activity of gastrointestinal tract
Pupillary constriction (myosis)
What is vagitomy?
A surgical operation in which one or more branches of the vagus nerve are cut, typically to reduce the rate of gastric secretion (e.g. in treating peptic ulcers)
What’s the vagus nerve?
Parasympathetic fibers innervation of the thoracic and abdominal viscera
Describe the disynaptic pathway
Preganglionic neuron is myelinated (faster transmission)
Origin of preganglionic neuron is in the CNS
Origin of the postganglionic neuron is on the autonomic ganglia, in the peripheral NS
Preganglionic neuron releases Acetylcholine as neurotransmitter, which binds to cholinergic nicotinic receptors (nicotinic neuronal subtype Nn)
Describe sympathetic nervous structure
Origin: T1-L2 medullary segments
Sympathetic- short preganglionic neurons
Long postganglionic neurons
Sympathetic ganglia located near CNS
Ratio of preganglionic to postganglionic is 1:20
Describe the parasympathetic nervous system
Origin: brain stem & S2 -S4
Long preganglionic neurons
Short postganglionic neurons
Parasympathetic ganglia located far from CNS
Distinguish the origin between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system
Sympathetic Origin: T1- L2 spinal cord segments (lateral horn)
Parasympathetic origin:brain stem (autonomic motor nuclei of III, IX, and X cranial nerves) and sacral spinal cord segments S2-S4
Contrast ganglia location of sympathetics and parasympathetic nervous system
Sympathetic: -paravertebral sympathetic ganglion chain
-Collateral ganglia (prevertebral)
Parasympathetic: ganglia located near or embedded within the target tissue
Contrast the dysynaptic cleft of sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system
Sympathetic:
Short cholinergic preganglionic fiber
Long post ganglionic fiber
Parasympathetic:
- long preganglionic fiber
- short postganglionicfiber
Constraint the ratio of preganglionic fibers yo postganglionic fibers in the autonomic nervous system
Sympathetic- ratio of preganglionic fibers to postganglionic fibers is 1:20
Parasympathetic- ratio of preganglionic fibers to postganglionic fibers is 1:3
Contrast activity of sympathetic and parasympathetic division
Sympathetic: activity often involves massive discharge of the entire system
Parasympathetic: activity normally to discrete organs
Contrast sympathetic and parasympathetic postganglionic neurotransmitters
Sympathetic: primary neurotransmitter of postganglionic neuron is norepinephrine.
Parasympathetic: primary neurotransmitter of the postganglionic neurons is acetylcholine
What are the exceptions to the common rule in the nervous system?
Adrenal medulla: directly innervated by preganglionic sympathetic fibers
Sweat glands: innervated by cholinergic sympathetic postganglionic neurons
Receptors on the sweat. Glands are cholinergic muscuranic: M3
Renal vasculature smooth muscle:
-Innervated by dopaminergic sympathetic postganglionic neurons
Receptors on the renal vasculature are dopaminergic: D1
Describe the adrenal gland
Preganglionic sympathetic axons synapse on chromaffin cells may ACh binds to Nn receptors
Chromaffin cells releases Catecholamines into the circulation: 80% epinephrine (E), 20% norepinephrine (NE)
What causes phaeochromocytoma?
Most common tumor of the adrenal medulla in adults
Derived from chromaffin cells
Secrete epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine
What are the symptoms of phaeochromocytoma?
Occurs in “spells” -relapse and remit
- Elevated blood pressure
- headache
- excessive sweating
- palpitations(tachycardia)
- pallor
Lab: elevated Catecholamines and their metabolites
How is phaeochromocytoma treated?
Surgery
Pre-op: phenoxybenzamine + beta-blocker
Explain cholinergic transmission within the presynaotic nerve (acetylcholine synthesis)
- Acetyl CoA synthesized in mitochondria
- Choline transported into the neuron via a sodium dependent carrier (CHT1)
- ACh synthesized in the cytoplasm from Acetyl CoA and choline, a reaction catalyzed by choline Acetyl transferase(ChAT)
- ACh transport into vesicles by the vesicular ACh transporter (VAChT)
- ACh released occurs when an action potential reaches the terminal and triggers calcium influx through voltage gated calcium channels
The uptake of choline is the rate limiting step in ACh synthesis
Explain cholinergic transmission across the synaptic cleft
Released ACh:
- ACh binds to cholinergic receptors: nicotinic or muscuranic in the postsynaptic membrane
- ACh binds to presynaptic M2 ACh receptors, which inhibit ACh release
- Acetylcholine (AChEj splits ACh into choline and acetate
What are orangophosphates?
These are usually used as insecticides by farmers: chlorothion, CoRal, Diazinion, Malathion, Paraoxon, Parathion, Phosdrin, TEPP, Thio-TEPP
Orangophosphates inhibit irreversibly the enzyme Anticholinesterase
What are the symptoms of orangophosphates?
Muscuranic : diarrhea, urination, miosis, bronchospasm, bradycardia, emesis, lacrimation, sweating, salivation
Nicotinic: neuromuscular junction
CNS effects: respiratory depression, lethargy, seizures, coma
How is orangophosphate poisoning. Treated?
Atropine+ pralidoxime
Explain adrenergic transmission in the presynaotic nerve
- Tyrosine is transported into the adrenergic neuron by system L
- Tyrosine is then converted to L-DOPA by the enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase
- DOPA is then converted to dopamine by DOPA decarboxylase
- Vesicular monoamine receptor (VMAT) translocate dopamine into synaptic vesicles
- Intravesicular dopamine-B-hydroxylase converts dopamine to NE
Tyrosine conversion to DOPA by tyrosine hydroxylase is the rate limiting step in the formation of NE