Differential diagnosis of central chest pain Flashcards
What are the two branches of the autonomic nervous system?
sympathetic and parasympathetic
What effect does sympathetic nerve stimulation have on the heart?
Increase heart rate
Increase contractility
What effect does parasympathetic nerve stimulation have on the heart?
Decrease heart rate
How do visceral afferent fibres travel?
- pain fibres travel to spinal cord alongside sympathetic nerves
- (visceral) reflex afferents (e.g. from baroreceptors) travel mainly in the vagus nerve (some in CN XI)
How do autonomic and afferent nerves reach the heart?
Cardiac plexus
How do sympathetic nerve fibres get from the CNS from the organs?
presynaptic fibre (connects between CNS and ganglion)
ganglion synapse between axon of presynaptic and postsynaptic
postsynaptic fibre connects ganglion and organ
Where do pre-synaptic sympathetic fibres from the brain travel via?
inferiorly via the spinal cord tracts
Where do pre-synaptic sympathetic fibres from the brain exit the spinal cord?
exit the spinal cord in one of T1-L2/3 spinal nerves (thoracolumbar)
What can sympathetic pre-synaptic fibres do once they leave the spinal cord?
1) go into the ganglion of that level & synapse
2) travel superiorly in the sympathetic chain to another ganglion & synapse
3) travel inferiorly in the sympathetic chain to another ganglion & synapse
4) pass straight through the sympathetic chain ganglion without synapsing, as abdominopelvic splanchnic nerves ,to synapse in one of the prevertebral ganglia of the abdomen (e.g. celiac ganglion)
5) pass straight to the adrenal medulla without synapsing as an abdominopelvic splanchnic nerve (directly stimulating adrenaline release)
Where do cardiopulmonary splanchnic nerves innervate?
sympathetic nerves to heart & lungs
To a midline organ what will the sympathetic innervation be like?
bilateral sympathetic innervation
What does the cardiac plexus contain?
sympathetic fibres
parasympathetic fibres
visceral afferent fibres
How do parasympathetic signals from the CNS reach the organs?
presynaptic fibre (connects between CNS and ganglion)
ganglion - synapse between axon of presynaptic neurone and cell body of postsynaptic neurone
postsynaptic fibre (connects between ganglion and organ)
What are the differences between sympathetic and parasympathetic signals from the CNS?
the neurotransmitters
Sympathetic:
pre-synaptic=acetylcholine
post-synaptic=norarenaline
parasympathetic:
pre-synaptic=acetylcholine
post-synaptic=acetylcholine
How many parasympathetic ganglia are there in the head?
4
How do parasympathetic signals reach the organs?
through CN III, CN VII, CN IX, CN X, pelvic splanchnic nerves to organs of the lower abdomen, pelvis and perineum
What can be the cause of somatic pain?
o muscle
o joint
o bony
o intervertebral disc