Nervous System Part 6 - Autonomic Nervous System Flashcards
why is the ANS sometimes referred to as the visceral nervous system?
because it has affects on the organs
what is included in the visceral sensory aspect of the nervous system?
sensory neurons bringing feedback to the brain and spinal cord about functions of the subconscious body
what is included in the visceral motor aspect of the nervous system?
will go to smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and glands of the body and tell them what to do in response
visceral sensory information will be coming in towards the ____________.
spinal cord
- just like somatic sensory information would
motor information in the autonomic system will be leaving the __________.
spinal cord
- same way as somatic motor information
true or false: in the somatic nervous system, a single neuron can begin in the spinal cord and travel all the way to its effector/destination.
true
true or false: in the autonomic nervous system, a single neuron can begin in the spinal cord and travel all the way to its effector/destination.
false
- there is always going to be at least two neurons involved in a motor signal
what are the two neurons of the motor signal of the autonomic nervous system called?
preganglionic neuron and the postganglionic neuron
which ganglionic neuron of the motor signal of the ANS is not myelinated?
the postganglionic neuron
what is the most common way that we can pass a signal from a preganglionic to a postganglionic neuron?
in a ganglion
what is a ganglia?
a place full of cell body
- autonomic cell bodies in the PNS that are waiting for a signal from a preganglionic neuron to carry away
what is the way that the ANS can carry motor information without the use of two neurons?
through the adrenal gland
what type of gland is the adrenal gland?
an endocrine (makes hormones)
how will neurons pass motor information through the adrenal gland?
the preganglionic neuron will go to the adrenal gland and pass its signal to cells in the adrenal gland that will then release specific hormones and other chemicals like epinephrine and norepinephrine which will then go into the blood and exert the affect onto the body
what would the parasympethtic and sympathetic neurons do in the heart?
- sympathetic will cause heart rate to speed up
- parasympathetic will cause heart rate to slow down
how do blood vessels work (specifically arteries)?
a sympathetic motor signal would tell them to constrict if we want to minimize blood flow to a specific area of the body
- then, when the sympathetic signal stops, the blood vessel will automatically dilate back to its original size
do we need a parasympathetic signal to tell the arteries to dilate?
no. we just been to turn off the sympathetic signal
what are the two things of our ANS that are more of an ON/OFF situation rather than a spectrum when it comes to the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems?
blood vessels and sweat glands
how do our sweat glands work?
a sympathetic motor signal would tell our sweat glands to secrete sweat and as soon as the sympathetic signal stops, you stop secreting sweat
- you do not need a parasympathetic signal to tell it to stop
where do our parasympathetic motor signals come from?
- four cranial nerves
- (3) oculomotor
- (7) facial
- (9) glossopharyngeal
- (10) vagus
- S2-S4 segments of spinal cord
what is cranial nerve 10, vagus, very important for?
resting functions in our thoracic and abdominal organs
which division of the ANS is the ‘rest and digest’?
parasympathetic
- slows things down
which division of the ANS is the ‘fight-or-flight
sympathetic
- fastens things up
the sacral parasympathetic segments are going to be responsible for?
things in the pelvic region
ex. pelvic viscera (reproductive and urinary organs)
where do our sympathetic motor signals come from?
between T1 and L2 of the spinal nerves
