Nerves of the Thorax Flashcards
What controls the ANS?
hypothalamus
Describe the functionality of organs that have dual innervation
- sympathetics and parasympathetics exert opposite effects
- but functionally complement each other
Examples of vessels supplied by only sympathetics
- blood vessels
- errector pili muscles
- sweat glands
What is the role of the ANS?
- maintains stable internal environment
- regulates visceral activity (circulation/respiration/excretion/reproduction)
- supplies smooth muscles
- supplies cardiac muscle
- supplies glands
- regulates body temperature
- fibres accompany general visceral afferent fibres
What is the structure of autonomic nerves?
- reach end organ with 2 neurons
- preganglionic neuron cell body is in grey matter of spinal cord
- myelinated axon
- postganglionic neuron is at an automatic ganglion
- unmyelinated axon
What is the role of the parasympathetic system?
- rest and digest to conserve energy
- slows breathing and HR
- reduces cardiac output and BP
- opens sphincters
- constricts pupils
- secretomotor to glands (sweat/lacrimal)
What is the only parasympathetic source of abdominal organs?
- vagus
- 10th cranial nerve
Describe the pathway of the vagus nerve from the skull
- leaves cranial cavity through jugular foramen
- descends between IJV and internal then carotid artery in the carotid sheath
Describe where the right and left vagus enters the thoracic cavity
- right vagus enters thoracic cavity between right subclavian and brachiocephalic vein
- left vagus enters thoracic cavity posterior to left brachiocephalic vein between sublcavian and common carotid arteries
What are the branches of the left and right vagus nerves?
- right vagus: recurrent largyngeal nerve that wraps around right subclavian artery
- left vagus gives off recurrent laryngeal nerve that wraps around aortic arch forming the aortopulmonary window
What do the recurrent laryngeal nerves supply?
- intrinsic laryngeal muscles (except cricothyroid)
- middle and inferior pharyngeal constrictor muscles
- sensory supply to the laryngeal cavity below the level of vocal folds
What is the role of the sympathetic system?
- fight or flight (uses energy)
- increases HR and strength of contraction
- dilates coronary arteries (indirectly by local metabolic factors)
- constricts peripheral arteries
- relaxes bronchial smooth muscles
- closes sphincters
- controls body temperature (blood vessels/sweat glands)
Where are preganglionic sympathetic cell bodies found?
intermediolateral grey matter horn of T1-L2 spinal cord segments
Where are postganglionic sympathetic cell bodies found?
paravertebral sympathetic ganglia:
- anterior to neck of ribs, lateral aspect of vertebral bodies
- interconnected and covered with parietal pleura
prevertebral sympathetic ganglia:
- around the origins of branches of abdominal aorta
Describe the divisions of cervical parasympathetic ganglia to the vertebrae
- superior cervical ganglia C1-4
- middle cervical ganglia C5-6
- inferior cervical ganglia C7-8