The automatic nervous system Flashcards
What makes up the nervous system?
The central nervous system (brain and spinal chord)
The peripheral nervous system (nerve cells carrying info to or from CNS)
What are the 2 branches of the peripheral nervous system?
The somatic and autonomic nervous system.
What are the 2 branches of the autonomic nervous system?
The sympathetic and parasympathetic systems.
What is the input of the autonomic nervous system?
They get their input from autonomic sensory neurons (associated with interoceptors such as chemoreceptors and thermoreceptors).
What is the output of the autonomic nervous system?
Output via autonomic motor neurons to cardiac muscle, smooth muscle and glands.
Main actions of autonomic nervous system?
In the heart, sympathetic stimulation= heart rate and force increased, parasympathetic= heart rate and force decreased.
In the iris, sympathetic= pupil dilation, parasympathetic= pupil constriction.
What is the meaning of dual innervation?
The organ receives both sympathetic and parasympathetic impulses (most organs have this).
Both sympathetic and parasympathetic are 2 neuron systems.
What is the sympathetic system?
Cell bodies in lateral horns of grey matter in spinal cord of: 12 thoracic segments, first 2-3 lumbar segments of the thoracolumbar division.
What is the parasympathetic system?
Cell bodies in nuclei of: 4 cranial nerves (III, VII, IX and X), lateral horns of 2-4 sacral segments, craniosacral division.
What is the length of preganglionic neurons?
These are short.
(close to spinal cord, not far to go)
What is the length of postganglionic neurons?
These are long.
(go far to reach effectors).
Where are the sympathetic ganglia?
These lie in a vertical row alongside vertebrae from the skull to coccyx (sympathetic chain).
Found closer to spinal cord.
What are the features of the collateral (pre vertebral) ganglia?
These lie in front of the vertebral column alongside the abdominal arteries (celiac ganglion, superior mesenteric ganglion and inferior mesenteric ganglion).
Where are the parasympathetic ganglia?
These are located close to the effector organs.
(The preganglionic axons are longer than the sympathetic axons.)
What are some examples are neurotransmitters in the ANS?
Acetylcholine and noradrenaline.