THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS

SYSTEM

Dr. Rusdi, M.Biomed.

The Autonomic Nervous System

Visceral sensory

Visceral motor
 Autonomic nervous system
3

 The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is the

subdivision of the peripheral nervous system that
regulates body activities that are generally not under
conscious control
 Visceral motor innervates non-skeletal (non-
somatic) muscles
 Visceral sensory will be covered later
 To repeat…

 ANS is the subdivision of the peripheral nervous

system that regulates body activities that are generally
not under conscious control
 Visceral motor innervates non-skeletal (non-somatic)
muscles
 Composed of a special group of neurons serving:
 Cardiac muscle (the heart)
 Smooth muscle (walls of viscera and blood vessels)
 Internal organs
 Skin
 Basic anatomical difference between the motor
pathways of the voluntary somatic nervous system (to
skeletal muscles) and those of the autonomic nervous
5
system

 Somatic division:
 Cell bodies of motor neurons reside in CNS (brain or spinal
cord)
 Their axons (sheathed in spinal nerves) extend all the way to
their skeletal muscles
 Autonomic system: chains of two motor neurons
 1st = preganglionic neuron (in brain or cord)
 2nd = gangionic neuron (cell body in ganglion outside CNS)
 Slower because lightly or unmyelinated

(see next diagram)

  Axon of 1st (preganglionic) neuron leaves CNS to
synapse with the 2nd (ganglionic) neuron
6

 Axon of 2nd (ganglionic) neuron extends to the

organ it serves

Diagram contrasts somatic (lower) and autonomic:

autonomic
this dorsal
root ganglion
is sensory

somatic

Note: the autonomic ganglion is motor

Divisions of the autonomic nervous system
(visceral motor part of it)
7

 Parasympathetic division
 Sympathetic division
Divisions of the autonomic nervous system
9

 Parasympathetic division
 Sympathetic division

Serve most of the same organs but cause opposing

or antagonistic effects

Parasysmpathetic: routine maintenance

“rest &digest”
Sympathetic: mobilization & increased metabolism
“fight, flight or fright” or “fight, flight or freeze”
Sympathetic Nervous System
 Helps the body cope with external stimuli and
functions during stress (triggers the flight or fight
response)
 Vasoconstriction – increase in blood pressure
 Increased heart rate
 Increased respiratory rate
 Cold, sweaty palms
 Pupil dilation
Parasympathetic Nervous System
 Works to save energy, aids in digestion, and
supports restorative, resting body functions.
 Decrease in heart rate
 Increased gastro intestinal tract tone and peristalsis
 Urinary sphincter relaxation
 Vasodilation – decrease in blood pressure
Body Responses – “rest and
digest”
 Dilation of blood vessels in skin
 Decrease heart rate (bradycardia)
 Increase secretion of digestive enzymes
 Constriction of smooth muscle of bronchi
 Increase in sweat glands - cooling
 Contraction of smooth muscles of urinary bladder
 Contraction of smooth muscle of skeletal system
The Race Horse and the Cow

Sympathetic Nervous System

Table 06.11
Divisions of the autonomic 1. Parasympathetic division
nervous system 2. Sympathetic division
18

Serve most of the same organs

but cause opposing or
antagonistic effects
 Where they come from
19

Parasympathetic: Sympathetic:
craniosacral thoracolumbar
 Parasympathetic nervous system
“rest & digest”
20

 Also called the craniosacral system because all its

preganglionic neurons are in the brain stem or
sacral levels of the spinal cord
 Cranial nerves III,VII, IX and X
 In lateral horn of gray matter from S2-S4
 Only innervate internal organs (not skin)
 Acetylcholine is neurotransmitter at end organ as
well as at preganglionic synapse: “cholinergic”
 Parasympathetic continued
21

 Cranial outflow
 III - pupils constrict
 VII - tears, nasal mucus, saliva
 IX – parotid salivary gland
 X (Vagus n) – visceral organs of thorax & abdomen:
 Stimulates digestive glands
 Increases motility of smooth muscle of digestive tract
 Decreases heart rate
 Causes bronchial constriction

 Sacral outflow (S2-4): form pelvic splanchnic nerves

 Supply 2nd half of large intestine
 Supply all the pelvic (genitourinary) organs
 Parasympathetic
22

(only look at this if

it helps you)
 Sympathetic nervous system
“fight, flight or fright”
25

 Also called thoracolumbar system: all its neurons are in

lateral horn of gray matter from T1-L2
 Lead to every part of the body (unlike parasymp.)
 Easy to remember that when nervous, you sweat; when afraid,
hair stands on end; when excited blood pressure rises
(vasoconstriction): these sympathetic only
 Also causes: dry mouth, pupils to dilate, increased heart &
respiratory rates to increase O2 to skeletal muscles, and liver to
release glucose
 Norepinephrine (aka noradrenaline) is neurotransmitter
released by most postganglionic fibers (acetylcholine in
preganglionic): “adrenergic”
 Sympathetic nervous system continued
26  Regardless of target, all begin
same
 Preganglionic axons exit
spinal cord through ventral
root and enter spinal nerve
 Exit spinal nerve via
communicating ramus
 Enter sympathetic trunk/chain
where postganglionic neurons
are
 Has three options…
Options of preganglionic axons in sympathetic trunk
(see next slides for drawing examples)
27

1. Synapse on postganglionic neuron in chain ganglion

then return to spinal nerve and follow its branch to the
skin
2. Ascend or descend within sympathetic trunk, synapse
with a posganglionic neuron within a chain ganglion,
and return to spinal nerve at that level and follow
branches to skin
3. Enter sympathetic chain, pass through without
synapsing, form a splanchnic nerve that passes
toward thoracic or abdominal organs
 These synapse in prevertebral ganglion in front of
aorta
 Postganglionic axons follow arteries to organs
 Synapse in chain ganglia
at same level or different level
28
 Pass through ganglia and synapse in
prevertebral ganglion
29
30

Sympathetic
 Adrenal gland is exception
31

On top of kidneys

Adrenal medulla
(inside part) is a
major organ of the
sympathetic nervous
system
 Adrenal gland is exception
32

 Synapse in gland
 Can cause body-wide
release of epinephrine aka
adrenaline and
norepinephrine in an
extreme emergency
(adrenaline “rush” or surge)
27.4 The Autonomic Nervous System

INVOLUNTARY RESPONSES
- responses that do not involve the brain (cerebrum):
unconscious, independent of external stimuli,
- controlled by the ANS (autonomic nervous system)
which consists of two branches:
1. sympathetic nervous system
2. parasympathetic nervous system
- examples: heart beat, peristalsis, prepare for
emergencies
 Effects of the sympathetic & parasympathetic
nervous systems are antagonistic.
 The balance between the two systems accurately
regulates the involuntary activities of glands and
organs.
 Training is possible to control consciously certain
activities, e.g. urination & defecation
Sympathetic stimulation causes an
increase in membrane permeability
all Special delivery network systems,
including the heart muscle to
potassium and sodium, thus
accelerating impulse conduction and
muscle contraction strength of the
heart also increases
 Effects On Cardiac Sympathetic stimulation .
the sympathetic nervous system , which controls
heart action in emergency situations or during
exercise , when there is a need for greater blood
flow , speed up heart rate through its effect on
cardiac pacemaker tissue . The main effect of
sympathetic stimulation in the SA node is to increase
the rate of depolarization , so that the threshold can
be achieved more quickly .
 . Norepinephrine released from sympathetic
nerve endings to reduce the permeability of K +
accelerates K + channel inactivation . With a
little more positive potassium ions out , the
inside of the cell becomes less negative ,
creating the effect of depolarization . It is
drifting faster with threshold under the influence
of the sympathetic action potential frequency
allows a greater and more rapid heart rate .
Pace maker
conducting system of the heart
 Sympathetic stimulation of the AV node AV node to
reduce delays by increasing conduction velocity ,
possibly by increasing Ca2 + influx is slow .
Similarly , sympathetic stimulation accelerates the
spread of action potential conduction along specific
pathways .
In atrial and ventricular contractile cells , which both
have a lot of sympathetic nerve
 Cardiac Acceleration- the Sympathetic
Pathway
 In response to stress or exercise, the sympathetic
nerves release the hormone norepinephrine.
Norepinephrine increases the permeability of
myocardial cells, including pacemaker cells and
contractile tissue, to sodium and calcium. The
increase in sodium permeability lowers the
threshold potential of SA node cells, causing
them to fire more rapidly.
 Increased sodium permeability in the AV node
makes it easier for each fiber to excite the next,
which decreases the conduction time from the
atria to the ventricles.
 . The effect of norepinephrine to increase the
contractile strength of cardiac muscle is thought
to be due to increased membrane permeability to
calcium. Calcium ions play an important role in
the contraction of myofibrils
 The effect of sympathetic stimulation is to
increase the overall activity of the heart:
 The SA node discharge rate is increased
 The excitability of all portions of the heart is
increased, reducing conduction time
 The contractile force of atrial and ventricular
muscle is increased
Electrophysiology of the heart
The different waveforms for each of the specialized cells
The
genesis of
the
electro-
cardiogram

EE-515
Bioelectricity
&
Biomagnetism
2002 Fall -
Murat
Eyüboğlu
SA Node Action Potential

20-46
Pace maker potential
Action Potentials in
Skeletal and Cardiac Muscle

20-48
Table 06.12
 Summary
56
 Visceral sensory system
57

Gives sensory input to

autonomic nervous
system
 Visceral sensory neurons
58
 Monitor temperature, pain, irritation, chemical changes and
stretch in the visceral organs
 Brain interprets as hunger, fullness, pain, nausea, well-being
 Receptors widely scattered – localization poor (e.g. which part
is giving you the gas pain?)
 Visceral sensory fibers run within autonomic nerves,
especially vagus and sympathetic nerves
 Sympathetic nerves carry most pain fibers from visceral organs of body
trunk
 Simplified pathway: sensory neurons to spinothalamic tract to
thalamus to cerebral cortex
 Visceral pain is induced by stretching, infection and cramping
of internal organs but seldom by cutting (e.g. cutting off a
colon polyp) or scraping them
 Visceral sensory and autonomic neurons
participate in visceral reflex arcs
59

 Many are spinal reflexes such as defecation and

micturition
reflexes

 Some only
involve peripheral
neurons: spinal
cord not involved
(not shown)*
*e.g. “enteric” nervous system: 3 neuron reflex arcs entirely within the wall of the gut
Central control of the Amygdala: main limbic
region for emotions
Autonomic NS
60
-Stimulates sympathetic activity,
especially previously learned
fear-related behavior
-Can be voluntary when decide to
recall frightful experience -
cerebral cortex acts through
amygdala
-Some people can regulate some
autonomic activities by gaining
extraordinary control over their
emotions

Hypothalamus: main
integration center

Reticular formation: most

direct influence over
autonomic function