Introduction to the Autonomic Nervous System Flashcards
Which limb of the autonomic nervous system has more of an effect on the Liver?
Sympathetic – causes hepatic gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis
Which limb of the autonomic nervous system dominates the lungs and the eyes at rest?
Parasympathetic
Lungs – causes partial bronchoconstriction
Eyes – allows near vision (constricts pupil)
Describe the relationship between baroreceptor firing and parasympathetic discharge.
Baroreceptors are stimulatory to the parasympathetic nerves i.e. an increase in baroreceptor firing stimulates an increase in parasympathetic firing
Describe the differences between sympathetic responses and parasympathetic responses.
Sympathetic: coordinated + divergent, 1:20
Parasympathetic: discrete + localised, 1:1
Describe the difference in the transmission through nicotinic and muscarinic receptors.
Nicotinic is much faster
What effect does parasympathetic dominance at rest have on the: lungs, gut, bladder and eyes?
Lungs – partial bronchoconstriction
Gut – increased gut motility
Bladder – increased urinary frequency
Eyes – short-sightedness
Why would giving a ganglion blocker at rest cause constipation?
At rest the parasympathetic nervous system is dominant, which increases gastric motility. This means that a ganglion blocker will knock out this effect and cause constipation.
Where are the 3 types of muscarinic cholinoceptor found?
M1 – neural tissue
M2 – cardiac
M3 – exocrine and smooth muscle
Where are adrenoceptors found, what are they stimulated by and what type are they?
At (nearly) all effector organs innervated by post ganglionic sympathetic fibres
Stimulated by noradrenaline + adrenaline
Type 2 – G-protein coupled
Describe the synthesis and breakdown of ACh
It is formed from acetyl CoA and choline by choline acetyltransferase
It is broken down by acetyl cholinesterase
Describe the synthesis of Noradrenaline.
Tyrosine -> DOPA (enzyme: tyrosine hydroxylase)
DOPA -> dopamine (enzyme: DOPA decarboxylase)
Dopamine -> Noradrenaline (enzyme: dopamine beta-hydroxylase)
Last step takes place in a vesicle
What are the 2 uptake mechanisms of noradrenaline?
Uptake 1: neuronal tissue – Monoamine Oxidase A (MAO-A)
Uptake 2: extraneuronal tissue – Catechol-O-Methyl Transferase (COMT)
Main targets for autonomic nervous system
exocrine glands
smooth muscle
cardiac muscle
metabolism
host defence
Main targets for Somatic nervous system
Skeletal muscle
inc. Diaphragm + respiratory muscle
Main targets for neuroendocrine system
Growth, metabolism, reproduction, development,
Salt & water balance,
Host defence