Autonomic nervous system

Question 1

What does the autonomic nervous system control?

Answer 1

The visceral organs (soft internal organs of the body)

Question 2

Main role of the autonomic nervous system?

Answer 2

Maintenance of homeostasis

Question 3

What are the three major divisions of the autonomic nervous system? +role of each

Answer 3

Sympathetic
Parasymapthetic
-Both for innervation of cardiac&smooth muscle and glandular tissue
Enteric
-digestive tract

Question 4

Overarching role (goal kind off) of the sympathetic and parasymapthetic systems?

Effect that THEY BOTH have on a target tissue

Answer 4

Opposing effects on target tissue:
-sympathetic: especially activated in fight or flight reactions
-parasympathetic: especially involved in rest-digest processes

Question 5

Where do sympathetic preganglionic neurons originate and project to?

Answer 5

From the ventral roots of the thoracic and lumbra region, to their target neurons

Question 6

What is located between preganglionic neurons and post ganglionic neurons (sympathetic)? Where within the overall nervous system?

Answer 6

Synapses that are clustered in a chain of sympathetic ganglia running along either side of the spinal cord

Question 7

What do sympathetic preganglionic neruons release? What doe they activate? Where?

Answer 7

Acetylcholine, activating nicotinic acetylcholine receptors on postganglionic neurons

Question 8

What do sympathetic postganglionic neurons release? Activates what on what?

Answer 8

Norepinephrine, activating alpha and beta adrenergic receptors on target organs

Question 9

Where do the axons of the parasymapthetic neurons emerge from? Where do they extend to?

Answer 9

-The brainstem (cranial nerves 3, 7, 9, 10) and the sacral spinal cord
-Extend almsot all the way to peripheral targets
-Remaining distance covered by postganglionic neurons

Question 10

What provides parasympathetic input to the visceral organs?

Answer 10

Vagus nerve

Question 11

What innervates the salivary glands?

Answer 11

Facial and glossopharyngel nerves

Question 12

What innervates the smooth muscle responsible for contraction and relaxation of the pupils?

Answer 12

Oculomotor nerve

Question 13

What innervates the bladder, large intestine and reproductive organs?

Answer 13

Parasympathetic projections from the sacral spinal cord

but like also im pretty sure the symapthetic system

Question 14

What do parasympathetic preganglionic neurons release? What does that activate? What about postganglionic neurons?

Answer 14

-Acetylcholine
-Postsynaptic nicotinic acetylcholine receptors
-Acetylcholine
-Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors on the target organ

Question 15

What joint effect do sympathetic and parasympathetic neurons have on target tissues?

Answer 15

Opposing effects

Question 16

What controls the digestive tract?

Answer 16

The enteric system

Question 17

What does the enteric nervous system control? (3)

Answer 17

GI tract, pancreas and gallbladder

Question 18

What components of the GI, pancreas and gallbladder does the enteric nervous system control

Answer 18

Smooth muscle in the gut as well as blood vessels and secretion by mucosa

Question 19

How many neurons are in the human enteric system? Comparable to what other part of the nervous system?

Answer 19

100 million neurons, similar to spinal cord

Question 20

Where the enteric nervous system receive input from?

Answer 20

Sympathetic and parasympathetic, but is highly autonomous and does not need external neuronal output

Question 21

Three types of neurons in the enteric system + roles

Answer 21

-Cholinergenic neurons: activates peristaltic contractions of the gut
-Adrinergenic neurons: supress gut peristalsis
-Neurons releasing neuropeptides, ATP and nitrous oxide

Question 22

Intestine morphology, from outside to inside + role

Answer 22

-Longitudinal smooth muscle : longitudinal contraction
-Myenteric plexus: control smooth muscle contraction
-Circular smooth muscle: circular contraction
-Submucous plexus: controls secretions
-Mucosa
-Lumen (inside)

Question 23

How does the sensory info from the visceral organs reach the autonomic nervous system?

Answer 23

Via the Vagus nerve or by inputs into the spinal cord

Question 24

How does the sensory info from the head and neck reach the autonomic nervous system?

Answer 24

Glossopharyngeal and facial nerves

Question 25

What mediates the direct autonomic reflexes and projects to higher brain areas? And what doe the higher brain areas do?

Answer 25

Brainstem regions
Coordinate autonomic responses

Question 26

Role of the hypothalamus in the autonomic nervous system?

Answer 26

Integrates autonomic responses
Coordinates endocrine function and hormone release (and thus behaviour)
**maintenance of homeostasis

Question 27

What 5 basic needs does the hypothalamus regulate?

Answer 27

-Blood pressure / electrolyte balance
-Body temp
-Energy metabolism
-Reproduction
-Emergency response to stress

Question 28

How does the hypothalamus work to maintain homeostasis? Description of overall process

Answer 28

Compares sensory info to set biological points (think body temp example)

Question 29

What other regions of the brain do the hypothalamus and autonomic nervous system interact with?

Answer 29

Cerebral cortex, amygdala, pituitary gland
**hypothalamus interacts with everything, autonomic just with hypothalamus and amygdala