Chapter 19: The Autonomic Nervous System

Introduction
- Autonomic nervous system has an enteric division that does the GI tract
o ENS has sensory, motor and interneurons
19.1 Comparison of the Somatic and Autonomic Nervous System:
- Somatic nervous system:
o Has both sensory and motor neurons
o Sensory neurons convey input from receptors for somatic senses
 Pain, thermal, tactile, proprioceptive sensations
o Special sensory
 Vision, audition, gustation, olfaction, equilibrium
o Somatic motor neurons innervate skeletal muscles
 Reflexive and voluntary movements
 Muscle contraction from somatic motor neurons is always from excitation
- Autonomic nervous system:
o Regulates cardiac and smooth muscle and glandular tissue
o Autonomic sensory neurons in visceral organs and in blood vessels that convey
information to integrating centers in the CNS
o Autonomic motor neurons that propagate from the CNS to various effector tissues
to regulate activity of smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and glands
o Enteric division is a specialized network of nerves and ganglia forming an
independent nerve network within the wall of the GI tract
o Centers in the hypothalamus and brain stem regulate ANS reflexes (not 100%
self-governing)
o Most autonomic responses cannot be consciously altered or suppressed to any
great degree
- Autonomic vs somatic motor neurons:
o Axon of a single myelinated somatic motor neuron extends from the CNS all the
way to the skeletal muscle fibers in its motor unit
o Most autonomic motor pathways have 2 neurons in series
 Preganglionic and postganglionic neurons
 Pre: has its cell body in the CNS and myelinated axon extends
from CNS to autonomic ganglion
 Post: unmyelinated axon extends from ganglion to effector
 Autonomic ganglion is where they meet (collection of cell bodies
outside the CNS)
o Somatic only uses ACH autonomic uses ACH or NE
o Autonomic has sympathetic and parasympathetic division for output
 Most organs have dual innervation
 One innervation stimulates the organ to increase activity and the
other inhibits it
o Majority of sympathetic output is directed to the blood vessels
 Increased alertness and enhanced metabolic activities to prepare body for
emergency
  Pupil dilation, rapid heart rate, dry mouth, sweaty but cool skin,
dilation of blood vessels to organs involved in combating stress,
constriction of blood vessels to organs not involved in combating
stress, release of glucose by the liver
o Parasympathetic is rest and digest division
 Activities conserve and restore body energy
 Majority output directed to smooth muscle’s and glandular tissue of the GI
and respiratory tracts
19.2 Autonomy of Autonomic Motor Pathways:
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