Lecture Plan: Autonomic Nervous System I

Objectives:
1. Students will understand the two branches of the autonomic nervous system enough to apply
them to specific situations of stress or relaxation.
2. Students will understand sympathetic and parasympathetic control of blood pressure enough to
evaluate a case study.
Summary of the Science:
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is a division of the peripheral nervous system that regulates organ
function. It acts unconsciously and regulates body functions including: heart rate, digestion, respiratory
rate and sexual arousal. It is divided into two branches: sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic
nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system is considered to be the fight or flight response which
is activated during high stress situations and acts a as a form of survival. While the peripheral nervous
system is considered to be the rest and digest phase. In many cases, these systems have opposite
actions where one system activates a response and the other system inhibits it.
Outline:
Time
20 minutes

10 minutes
5 minutes
30 minutes

5 minutes

Details of Content
Video lecture; introduction to the ANS. We will explore the two branches of the ANS. We
will learn how sympathetic innervation is activated during stressful situations and how
peripheral innervation affects organ function.
Quiz- based on the video lecture assigned as preparation for class session.
We will review the main concepts of the video lecture and answer students submitted
questions.
Group activity- In their formal groups of 4, students will evaluate a case study on
neurocardiogenic syncope. They will be given a description of the case and in their groups
they have to answer questions that will be handed in at the end of the class.
We will discuss the case study, and list out possible explanations for the symptoms. We
will discuss neurocardiogenic syncope and answer any further questions.

Assessment Questions:
1. If a lion were to storm into the classroom, what happens to your respiration rate? Why?
2. Why is the parasympathetic system considered the rest and digest phase? When is it active?
3. What do you think would happen if your body does not activate the sympathetic nervous system
during stress?
4. In the case study, why do you think the physician wanted to perform a head-up tilt test?
5. If you have high blood rate, how do your baroreceptors respond? Where is this information
processed?