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Function: Voluntary and Involuntary

Responses
The responses of the nervous system to stimuli may be voluntary or involuntary. Voluntary
responses are mainly under conscious control, but some voluntary movements, such as
walking, require less conscious attention. There are two types of involuntary response,
autonomic and reflex. Autonomic responses regulate the bodys internal environment. Reflexes
mainly affect those muscles that are normally under voluntary control.
Voluntary responses
All voluntary activities involve the brain, which sends out the motor impulses that control
movement. These motor signals are initiated by thought and most also involve a response to
sensory stimuli. For example, people use sight and sense of position to help them coordinate
the action of walking.
Voluntary pathways
The sensory impulses that trigger voluntary responses are dealt with in many parts of the brain.
Nervemuscle junction
At this junction, a nerve fibre transmits signals to produce a response from muscle fibres.
Autonomic responses
The autonomic nervous system controls the bodys internal environment without conscious
intervention and helps to regulate vital functions, such as blood pressure. The two types of
autonomic nerves, sympathetic and parasympathetic, have opposing effects but balance each
other most of the time. At certain times, such as during stress or exercise, one system
dominates.
Autonomic pathways
Information collected by internal receptors travels along sensory nerves to the spinal cord and
the brain stem for processing. Sympathetic and parasympathetic response signals have
separate pathways.
Two types of responses
Sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves each produce different responses in a particular
organ. The sympathetic responses prepare the body to cope at times of stress. Parasympathetic
responses help conserve or restore energy.
Divisions of the autonomic system
Organ
Affected
Sympathetic response Parasympathetic response
Eyes Pupils dilate Pupils constrict
Lungs Bronchial tubes dilate Bronchial tubes constrict
Heart
Rate and strength of heartbeat
increase
Rate and strength of heartbeat
decrease
Stomach Enzymes decrease Enzymes increase
Liver Releases glucose Stores glucose
Reflexes
A reflex is an involuntary response to a stimulus, such as withdrawing your hand from a hot
surface before you become aware of the heat. Most reflexes are processed in the spine,
although some, such as blinking, are processed in the brain. In a spinal reflex, the stimulus
signal travels along a sensory nerve to the spinal cord, and a response signal travels back by
means of a motor nerve.
Spinal reflex pathway
Spinal reflexes involve the simplest nerve pathways: the sensory and motor neurons are directly
linked together in the spinal cord.
From the 2010 revision of the Complete Home Medical Guide Dorling Kindersley Limited.
The subjects, conditions and treatments covered in this encyclopaedia are for information only and may not be
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