Autonomic Nervous System Flashcards
What mediates the fight or flight response?
Sympathetic nervous system
What are the divisions of the autonomic nervous system?
Sympathetic, parasympathetic and enteric
What mediates the rest and digest response?
Parasympathetic nervous system
What is the effect of the SNS on the eyes?
Pupil dilation - increased acuity
What is the effect of the SNS on the skin?
Vasoconstriction (skin appear pale), hair stand on end, sweaty
What is the effect of the SNS on the heart?
Increased heart rate, increased cardiac output
What is the effect of the SNS on the lungs?
Bronchodilation - max air exchange
What is the effect of the SNS on the gastrointestinal tract?
Decreased motility
What is the effect of the SNS on the kidneys?
Constrict renal vessels, decrease urine production
What is the effect of the SNS on the liver?
Glycogen breakdown, increased availability of glucose
What is the effect of the SNS on the reproductive organs?
Ejaculation
What is the effect of the SNS on the adrenal glands?
Adrenaline release
What is the basic plan of the ANS?
Preganglionic neuron (in spinal cord), ganglion, post ganglionic neuron
What type of neuron, pre or post ganglionic, is characterized by myelinated axons and fast conductance?
Preganglionic neuron
What type of neuron, pre or post ganglionic, is characterized by unmyelinated axons and slow conductance?
Post ganglionic neurons
A collection of nerve bodies located outside the CNS describes what?
Ganglion
Collections of neurons running together associated with glia and often blood vessels describes what?
Nerve
Preganglionic cell bodies of the SNS are found at what spinal cord levels?
T1-L2
Afferent sensory information returns through which part of the spinal column?
Dorsal horns
Efferent information goes out through which part of the spinal column?
Ventral horns
Sympathetic Preganglionic cell bodies are found in what structure?
IML (T1-L2)
What is a bilateral continuous formation of paravertebral sympathetic ganglia that runs along both sides of the whole spinal cord?
Sympathetic chain
Preganglionic neurons travel through what structure to relay information from the CNS to the sympathetic chain?
White ramus communicans
What structure relays info from post ganglionic neurons in the sympathetic trunk to the target organ?
Grey ramus communicans
What is the basic anatomy of the SNS?
Thoraco-lumbar origins, short Preganglionic neuron, long post ganglionic neuron
What are three possible targets of sympathetics in the body wall and limbs?
Peripheral arteries, sweat glands, hair follicles
What run the entire length of the spinal cord, are unmyelinated post ganglionic sympathetic neurons and connect from sympathetic chain ganglia back to spinal nerves?
Gray ramus communicans
What are limited to thoraco-lumbar distribution, myelinated Preganglionic sympathetic neurons and connect from spinal nerves to sympathetic chain ganglia?
White ramus communicans
What is the top ganglion in the sympathetic chain?
Superior cervical ganglion
Sympathetics follow what artery to reach the eye and sweat glands in the head?
Carotid artery (carotid periarterial plexus)
To reach the thoracic viscera post ganglionic sympathetic fibers travel through what nerves?
Short cardiopulmonary splanchnic nerves
Preganglionic sympathetic neurons to what region don’t synapse in the sympathetic chain?
Abdominal viscera
Preganglionic sympathetic neurons to the abdominal viscera that follow branches of the abdominal aorta to their targets are known as what?
Long abdominopelvic splanchnic nerves
What sympathetic ganglion supplies the liver, gallbladder, stomach, pancreas and spleen?
Celiac ganglion
What sympathetic ganglion supplies the kidney and suprarenal (adrenal) gland?
Aorticorenal ganglion
What sympathetic ganglion supplies the small intestine and the proximal part of the large intestine?
Superior mesenteric ganglion
What sympathetic ganglion supplies the penis/clitoris, bladder, gonad, distal part of large intestine, rectum and internal anal sphincter?
Inferior mesenteric ganglion
What are the names of the prevertebral (preaortal) ganglia?
Celiac, aorticorenal, superior mesenteric, inferior mesenteric
What is the Preganglionic sympathetic nerve that travels to the celiac ganglia?
Greater splanchnic nerve
What is the Preganglionic sympathetic nerve that travels to the superior mesenteric ganglia?
Lesser splanchnic nerve
What is the Preganglionic sympathetic nerve that travels to the inferior mesenteric ganglia?
Lumbar splanchnic nerve
What is the Preganglionic sympathetic nerve that travels to the aorticorenal ganglia?
Lesser and least splanchnic nerve
Sympathetic innervation of what organ does not require a post ganglionic neuron?
Adrenal (suprarenal) glands
In the adrenal (suprarenal) glands what are analogous to post ganglionic sympathetics?
Chromaffin cells
What release epinephrine into the blood stream, contain no axons but do contain secretory granules?
Chromaffin cells
What is essentially a large and specialized prevertebral sympathetic ganglion?
Adrenals/suprarenals
Steroids are found within what structure of the adrenal gland?
Cortex
Epinephrine is found within what structure of the adrenal glands?
Medulla
What synapses on chromaffin cells in the adrenal medulla?
Cholinergic Preganglionic terminals
