CNS 6 Autonomic system

1. Somatic vs autonomic nervous system

Somatic nervous system

- Somatic nervous fibers take one motor neuron to reach its effector organ
o Only takes one Alpha motor neuron to extend from spinal cord (anterior
grey horn) to effector organ (skeletal muscle)
- subject to voluntary control
o innervates skeletal muscle

Autonomic nervous system

- Takes two motor neurons to reach their effector organ (two neuron chain)
o preganglionic motor neuron
 originates from a neuron in CNS
 light myelinated axon and extends to a ganglion
 synapses with cell body of a second neuron
o post-ganglionic motor neuron
 innervates effector organ
 unmyelinated extends to an effector organ
- subject to involuntary controls
o innervates smooth and cardiac muscle and glands
o operate via subconscious control
o have viscera as most of their effectors
 viscera = stomach, intestine, liver, spleen, pancreas, kidney
 Dorsal root ganglia (sensory)
Autonomic ganglia (motor)
2. Sympathetic vs parasympathetic divisions

Sympathetic Division
- Fight or flight or freight
- Uses energy in stressful situation
- Location : within spinal cord (T1 vertebrae to L2)
o Thoraco-lumbar outflow
o Where pre-ganglionic motor neuron comes out from
 Most preganglionic fibers are short
 Most postganglionic fibers are long
- “E situations”
o emergency, embarrassment, excitement, exercise

Parasympathetic
- Location: Brain stem (3rd cranial nerve)
o Cranium (brainstem) and sacral (lower spinal cord) regions of the
brainstem and spinal cord
 Most preganglionic fibers are long
 Most postganglionic fibers are short
- Involves the D activities – digestion, defecation and diuresis (increased or
excessive production of urine).
3. Neurotransmitters involved in autonomic responses

Preganglionic fibers
- both systems release acetylcholine (ACh acting at nicotinic receptors)
o Cholinergic neurons release acetylcholine
 all preganglionic neurons
 all parasympathetic postganglionic neurons
 few sympathetic postganglionic neurons (to most sweat glands)

Postganglionic fibers
- sympathetic fibers release noradrenaline (norepinephrine)
o adrenergic fibers
 releases noradrenaline
o Adrenergic neurons release norepinephrine (NE)
 from postganglionic sympathetic neurons only
o NE lingers at the synapse until enzymatically inactivated by monoamine
oxidase (MAO) or catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT)

- parasympathetic postganglionic fibres release acetylcholine (muscarinic)

o cholinergic fibers
Receptor types
1. cholinergic receptors
- two types of acetylcholine (cholinergic) receptors
o nicotinic and muscarinic receptors
 based on their response to particular drugs

nicotinic receptors
o activated by tobacco plant derivative nicotine
o found on postganglionic cell bodies in ALL autonomic ganglia
o responds to Ach released from both sympathetic and parasympathetic
preganglionic fibers
 binding od Ach opens cation channels in the postganglionic cell
 permeates passage of both Na+ and K+
 depolarization
o greater [Na] than [k] -> more Na enter the cell than K
leaves

Muscarinic receptors
o activated by mushroom poison muscarine
o found on effector cell membrane
 smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and glands
o binds Ach released from parasympathetic postganglionic fibers
o 5 subtypes of muscarinic receptors
 All linked to G protein that activates second messenger system
that lead to target cell response

2. Adrenergic receptors
- 2 classifications of adrenergic receptors for Epinephrine and Norepinephrine
o Alpha and beta receptors
 A1 and A2 & B1, B2, B3
- Acts through secondary messenger to transfer the signal from the cell surface
to cytoplasm
o Influence metabolic processes

Beta 1 receptors
NE=E

Beta 2 receptors
NE<E
Alpha receptors
NE>E
All are G protein coupled
Alpha 1 excites
Alpha 2 inhibits
Beta 1 excites
Beta 2 inhibits
Norepinephrine is released both as a neurotransmitter from sympathetic
postganglionic fibres and as a hormone from the adrenal medulla.
Beta-1  receptors bind equally with both norepinephrine and epinephrine,
whereas beta-2  receptors bind primarily with epinephrine. Alpha (α) receptors of
both subtypes have a greater affinity for norepinephrine than for epinephrine.

4. Adrenal Medulla

• modified part of sympathetic nervous system

– Modified sympathetic ganglion that does not give rise to postganglionic
fibers
– Stimulation of preganglionic fiber prompts medullary secretion of
hormones into blood
• About 20 percent of hormone release is norepinephrine
• About 80 percent of hormone released is epinephrine
(adrenaline)
• Note that the adrenal gland has a separate division – the adrenal
cortex that secretes hormones of a very different type and is not
driven by sympathetic innervation.

5. Describe the levels of control of the ANS

Control of ANS activities

i. Partly from Visceral afferent
o Visceral sensory detector in the periphery that bring information into the
CNS which is analyzed and produces autonomic outflow response
 Homeostatic control
ii. The medulla of the brain stem (not adrenal medulla in this case) is region
directly responsible for autonomic cardiac and respiratory output
iii. Some autonomic reflexes, such as urination, defecation, and erection, are
integrated at the spinal cord level
iv. The hypothalamus regulates overall autonomic function (together with
endocrine control)
v. Cortisol controls