Autonomic nervous system

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is the part of the

nervous system that is responsible for homeostasis.
Except for skeletal muscle, which gets its innervation
from the somatomotor nervous system, innervation to
all other organs are supplied by ANS

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 Division of central nervous system

 Central nervous system include

 Brain
 Spinal cord
 Peripheral nervous system
 Cervical 7 segments,thoracic12se
 lumbar 5segments
 Sacral 5segments,coccygeal 1
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 Brain organization

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 Nervous Syste m Organization
Cen tral Nervo us Ce nt ral N erv o us Sy st em
S ystem
Bra in S pi n al C o rd

I n pu t to CNS fro m pe ri ph e ry Ou t pu t fro m C NS to pe ri ph e ry

Affe re nt E ffe re nt

So m at ic N erv o o us Sy st em Au to no m i c Ne rvo u s S ys te m
P erip heral I nv o lu n ta ry
Ne rvous Vo l un t ry
S ystem

Sy m p at he ti c Ne rv ou s Pa ra sy m p at he ti c Ne rvo u s
M o to r N eu ro n s Sy st em s y st em
Cranial and
spinal nerves

Somatic or visceral S m o o th m u sc l es , g la n ds
S k el e ta l M u s cl e s
Ca rd i ac m u s cl e s
sensory nerves

Ef fe ct or o rga n s (m u s cl es an d g l an d t is su e s )
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 Peripheral Nervous System (PNS): Two
Functional Divisions
 Sensory (afferent) division
 Somatic afferent fibers – carry impulses from skin,
skeletal muscles, and joints to the brain
 Visceral afferent fibers – transmit impulses from
visceral organs (in the ventral body cavity) to the
brain

 Motor (efferent) division

 Transmits impulses from the CNS to effector
organs
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 Motor (efferent) Division: Two Main Parts
 Somatic nervous system (voluntary)
 Conscious control of skeletal muscles

 Autonomic nervous system (ANS) (involuntary)

 Regulates smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and
glands
 Divisions – sympathetic and parasympathetic

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 Divisions of the ANS
 The two divisions of the ANS are the sympathetic
and parasympathetic
 The sympathetic mobilizes the body during extreme
situations
 The parasympathetic performs maintenance
activities and conserves body energy
 The two divisions counterbalance each other’s
activity

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 Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)

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 Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
 The stability of our internal environment depends on
the activity of the ANS (auto=self, nom=govern).
 The ANS consists of motor neurons that:
 Innervate smooth and cardiac muscle and glands
 Make adjustments to ensure optimal support for
body activities
 Operate via subconscious control (involuntary)
 Have viscera as most of their effectors

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 Comparison of Somatic and Autonomic Systems

Figure 14.2
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 ANS Versus Somatic Nervous System (SNS)
 The ANS differs from the SNS in the following three areas
 Effectors, Efferent pathways, Target organ responses
 Effectors
 The effectors of the SNS are skeletal muscles
 The effectors of the ANS are cardiac muscle, smooth muscle, and glands
 Efferent pathways :
 Heavily myelinated axons of the somatic motor neurons extend from the CNS to the
effector
 Axons of the ANS are a two-neuron chain
 The preganglionic (first) neuron has a lightly myelinated axon
 The postganglionic (second) neuron extends to an effector organ(unmyelinated)
 Neurotransmitter Effects :
 All somatic motor neurons release Acetylcholine (ACh), which has an excitatory effect
 In the ANS:
 Preganglionic fibers release ACh
 Postganglionic fibers release norepinephrine or ACh and the effect is either
stimulatory or inhibitory
 ANS effect on the target organ is dependent upon the neurotransmitter released
and the receptor type of the effector
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 Divisions of the ANS
 The two divisions of the ANS are the sympathetic
and parasympathetic
 The sympathetic mobilizes the body during extreme
situations
 The parasympathetic performs maintenance
activities and conserves body energy
 The two divisions counterbalance each other’s
activity

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 Role of the Parasympathetic Division

 Concerned with keeping body energy use low

 Involves the D activities – digestion, defecation, and
diuresis
 Its activity is illustrated in a person who relaxes
after a meal
 Blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rates are
low
 Gastrointestinal tract activity is high
 The skin is warm and the pupils are constricted
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 Role of the Sympathetic Division

 The sympathetic division is the “fight-or-flight”

system
 Involves E activities – exercise, excitement,
emergency, and embarrassment
 Promotes adjustments during exercise – blood flow to
organs is reduced, flow to muscles is increased
 Its activity is illustrated by a person who is threatened
 Heart rate increases, and breathing is rapid and deep
 The skin is cold and sweaty, and the pupils dilate
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 Anatomy of ANS
Location of
Division Origin of Fibers Length of Fibers
Ganglia

Sympathetic Thoracolumbar Short preganglionic Close to the

region of the spinal and long spinal cord
cord postganglionic

Parasympathetic Brain and sacral Long preganglionic In the visceral

spinal cord and short effector
postganglionic organs

Figure 14.3
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 Parasympathetic Division Outflow
Cranial Cranial Nerve Ganglion Effector
Outflow Organ(s)

Midbrain Occulomotor (III) Ciliary Eye

Facial (VII) Pterygopalatin Salivary, nasal,

Pons Submandibular and lacrimal
glands
Glossopharyngeal Otic Parotid salivary
(IX) glands
Medulla
Vagus (X) Located within the Heart, lungs, and
walls of target most visceral
organs organs
Sacral S2-S4 Located within the Large intestine,
Outflow walls of the target urinary bladder,
organs ureters, and
reproductive
organs

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 Sympathetic Outflow
 Arises from lateral horn of
spinal cord segments T1
through L2
 Sympathetic neurons produce
the lateral horns of the spinal
cord
 Preganglionic fibers pass
through the white rami
communicantes and synapse
in the chain (paravertebral)
ganglia

 Fibers from T5-L2 form

splanchnic nerves and
synapse with collateral
(prevertebral) ganglia
 Postganglionic fibers
innervate the numerous
organs of the body
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 Sympathetic Trunks and Pathways
Pathways of sympathetic axons with
synapses
 A preganglionic fiber follows one of
three pathways upon entering the
paravertebral ganglia
 Synapse with the postganglionic
neuron within the same ganglion
 Ascend or descend the sympathetic
chain to synapse in another chain
ganglion
 Pass through the chain ganglion and
emerge without synapsing but synapse
in collateral ganglia located anterior to
spinal column and close to large
abdominal arteries and hence their
names are celiac (below diaghram), sup
mesenteric (upper abdomen) and
inferior mesenteric (middle abdomen)
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 Sympathetic Trunks and Pathways

1. Synapse in a chain
ganglion at same level.
2. Synapse at a chain
ganglion at a different
level.
3. Synapse in a collateral
ganglion
Figure 14.6
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Pathways with Synapses in Sympathetic Chain Ganglia (paravertebral gangioa)

 The white rami carry

preganglionic
(myelinated) axons to
the sympathetic
chains.
 Gray rami carry
postganglionic (non
myelinated) axons.
 Postganglionic axons
enter the ventral ramus
of the spinal nerve via
the gray rami
communicantes
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 Grey ramus

White ramus

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 Pathways with Synapses in Collateral (prevertebral) Ganglia

 The preganglionic fibers

(T5-L2) leave the
sympathetic chain without
synapsing
 They form thoracic,
lumbar, and sacral
splanchnic nerves
 They synapse in
prevertebral ganglia (celiac,
superior mesenteric,
inferior mesenteric and
hypogastric ganglion)
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 Pathways with Synapses in the Adrenal Medulla
 Fibers of the thoracic splanchnic nerve pass directly
to the adrenal medulla
 Upon stimulation, medullary cells secrete
norepinephrine and epinephrine into the blood

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 Neurotransmitters and Receptors

 Acetylcholine (ACh) and norepinephrine (NE) are

the two major neurotransmitters of the ANS
 ACh is released by all preganglionic axons and all
parasympathetic postganglionic axons
 Cholinergic fibers – ACh-releasing fibers
 Adrenergic fibers – sympathetic postganglionic
axons that release NE
 Neurotransmitter effects can be excitatory or
inhibitory depending upon the receptor type
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 Cholinergic Receptors
 The two types of receptors that bind ACh are nicotinic and muscarinic
 These are named after drugs that bind to them and mimic ACh effects
 Nicotinic receptors are found on:
 Motor end plates (somatic targets)
 found on cell bodies ofAll postganglionic axons of both sympathetic
and parasympathetic divisions
 The hormone-producing cells of the adrenal medulla
 The effect of ACh binding to nicotinic receptors is always stimulatory
Muscarinic Receptors
 Muscarinic receptors occur on all effector cells stimulated by
postganglionic parasympathetic cholinergic fibers
 The effect of ACh binding:
 Can be either inhibitory or excitatory
 Depends on the receptor type of the target organ
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 Adrenergic Receptors
 The two types of adrenergic receptors are alpha and beta
 Each type has two or three subclasses
(1, 2, 1, 2 , 3)
 Effects of NE binding to:
  receptors is generally stimulatory
  receptors is generally inhibitory
 A notable exception – NE binding to  receptors of the heart is
stimulatory
 Beta-blockers – attach mainly to 1 receptors and reduce heart
rate and prevent arrhythmias (without interfering with other
sympathetic effects)
InterActive Physiology®:
Nervous System II: Synaptic Transmission
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 Interactions of the Autonomic Divisions

 Most visceral organs are innervated by both

sympathetic and parasympathetic fibers
 This results in dynamic antagonisms that precisely
control visceral activity
 Sympathetic fibers increase heart and respiratory
rates, and inhibit digestion and elimination
 Parasympathetic fibers decrease heart and
respiratory rates, and allow for digestion and the
discarding of wastes

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 Alarm or stress response of sympathetic nervous system

1. Increased arterial pressure

2. Increased blood flow to active muscles concurrent with decreased blood flow to
organs such as th gastrointestinal tract and the kidneys that are not
needed for rapid motor activity
3. Increased rates of cellular metabolism throughout
the body

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 4. Increased blood glucose concentration
5. Increased glycolysis in the liver and in muscle
6. Increased muscle strength
7. Increased mental activity
8. Increased rate of blood coagulation

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  The sum of these effects permits a person to perform far more
strenuous physical activity than would otherwise be possible.
Because either mental or
 physical stress can excite the sympathetic system,
 the purpose of the sympathetic system is to provide extra
activation of the body in states of stress: this is called the
sympathetic stress response.

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 Cranial nerves
1-Olfactory nerve
11-Optic nerve
111-Oculomotor nerve
1v-Trochlear nerve
V-Trigeminal nerve
V1-Abducent nerve
V11-Facial nerve
V111-Vestibulocochlear nerve
1x –Glossopharyngeal nerve
X- Vagus nerve
X1-Accessory nerve
X11-Hypoglossal nerve
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