Module 13 V1 - Flashcards
What is the FUNCTION of the VISCERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM?
Maintain homeostasis within the body by controlling the functions of the:
- internal organs
- blood vessels
- ertain structures in the skin.
The visceral nervous system has both sensory & motor components.
A. True
B. False
TRUE
Explain the function of VISCEROSENSORY NEURONS
- Carry sensory information from the internal organs.
- This info is processed and used predominantly without conscious awareness.
What are the two divisions of the viscerosensory system?
- Sympathetic division
- Parasympathetic division
Explain the FUNCTION of the SYMPATHETIC division of the viscerosensory system.
- Carries info from nociceptors located in:
i. heart
ii. respiratory structures
iii. gastrointestinal tracts
iv. urogenital tracts. - This information is used to mediate reflexes at the level of the spinal cord and it is conveyed to brain regions via the ALS.
Explain the FUNCTION of the PARASYMPATHETIC division of the viscerosensory system.
- Carries information from physiological receptors that convey
innocuous stimuli and monitor the functions of visceral structures (mediation of reflexes will be most important) - and this information is CARRIED ON cranial nerves
- and PROCESSED BY the solitary nucleus or on pelvic nerves
- and PROCESSED AT the level of the spinal cord
- and CONVEYED TO brain regions via the ALS.
A _______ receptor is a type of physiological receptor. (Hint: think mechanic)
Mechanoreceptor.
Mechanoreceptors can be _______ or _______ adapting. (Hint: think speed)
Rapid adapting or slow adapting
Rapid adapting mechanoreceptors fire when …
a stimulus is applied and stop firing with sustained stimulation.
Rapid adapting mechanoreceptors are well suited to signal …
movement or sudden changes in pressure.
Rapid adapting mechanoreceptors are located in …
thoracic, abdominal, and pelvic organs
Slowly adapting mechanoreceptors will continue to fire …
in the presence of a stimulus.
Visceral pain is generally poorly localized and often referred to a somatic body part.
A. True
B. False
True
Explain the steps in which visceral pain is referred to a somatic body part. (Hint: 5 steps from organ to cortex)
- Visceral afferents from the organ join somatic afferents in the spinal nerve.
- Information at the spinal cord is where the cross-talk occurs between the two afferents, in which the visceral afferent activates the somatic dorsal horn cell.
- Fibers enter the anterior right commissure & travel to the cortex through the ALS (anterolateral system)
- Fibers contact another neuron in the chain of communication.
- Information is conveyed to the cortex.
Identify where the visceral pain from the organ would manifest on the somatic body part for the following examples:
A. heart disease
B. gall bladder disease
C. pancreatic disease
A. Heart disease = chest wall or arm
B. Gall bladder disease = back or between scapulae
C. Pancreatic diseases = back
Lecture Video Question 1
The sympathetic division of the viscerosensory system conveys innocuous information from the viscera.
A. True
B. False
B. False
Explanation:
This statement is false: the sympathetic division of the viscerosensory system conveys pain information and the parasympathetic division conveys innocuous sensory information (e.g., stretch/tension in hollow organs contributing to the sense of fullness; blood composition).
Lecture Video Question 2
Visceral pain is poorly localized and often referred to along a dermatome of the somatic nervous system secondary to “cross talk” between the visceral and somatic sensory systems.
A. True
B. False
A. True
Explanation:
This statement is true: visceral pain is poorly localized because of low receptor density and the large receptive fields of viscerosensory neurons, and because there is a small area of the cortex processing visceral sensory information (in comparison to somatosensory information). Sympathetic viscerosensory neurons travel in spinal nerves and often contact somatic dorsal horn cells. This “cross talk” results in visceral pain being interpreted as coming from the dermatome supplied by that spinal cord segment.
Visceromotor neurons control _______, _______, _______, and these components are often referred to as the autonomic nervous system. (Hint: 2 muscles and 1 gland)
A. smooth muscle
B. cardiac muscle
C. secretory glands
Innervation of structures of the head & body requires _______ from the _______ & _______ divisions, and outflow produces _______ results.
A. dual innvervation
B. parasympathethic
C. sympathetic
D. opposing results
Provide an example of opposing results from outflow between the parasympathetic and sympathetic divisions.
Parasympathetic outflow = pupillary constriction
Sympathetic outflow = pupillary dilation.