Introduction (pp. 526–528)
Comparison of the Somatic and Autonomic Nervous Systems (pp. 526–527)
ANS Divisions (pp. 527–528)
ANS Anatomy (pp. 528–535)
Parasympathetic (Craniosacral) Division (pp. 529–530)
Sympathetic (Thoracolumbar) Division (pp. 530–534)
Visceral Reflexes (pp. 534–535)
ANS Physiology (pp. 535–540)
Neurotransmitters and Receptors (pp. 535–536)
The Effects of Drugs (p. 536)
Interactions of the Autonomic Divisions (pp. 536–539)
Control of Autonomic Functioning (pp. 539–540)
Homeostatic Imbalances of the ANS (pp. 540–541)
Developmental Aspects of the ANS (p. 541)
T
he human body is exquisitely sensitive to changes in its internal environment, and engages in a lifelong struggle to balance com-peting demands for resources under ever-changing conditions. Although all body systems contribute, the stability of our internal envi-ronment depends largely on the autonomic nervous system (ANS), the system of motor neurons that innervates smooth and cardiac mus-cle and glands (Figure 14.1).At every moment, signals stream from visceral organs into the CNS, and autonomic nerves make adjustments as necessary to ensure opti-mal support for body activities. In response to changing conditions, the ANS shunts blood to “needy” areas, speeds or slows heart rate, adjusts
The Autonomic
Nervous System
525
14
blood pressure and body temperature, and increases or de-creases stomach secretions.
Most of this fine-tuning occurs without our awareness or at-tention. Can you tell when your arteries are constricting or when your pupils are dilating? Probably not, but if you’ve ever been stuck in a checkout line, and your full bladder was contracting as if it had a mind of its own, you’ve been very aware of a visceral activity. These functions, both those we’re aware of and those that occur without our awareness or attention, are controlled by the ANS. Indeed, as the term autonomic (auto = self; nom = govern) implies, this motor subdivision of the peripheral ner-vous system has a certain amount of functional independence. The ANS is also called the involuntary nervous system, which reflects its subconscious control, or the general visceral motor system, which indicates the location of most of its effectors.
Introduction
Define autonomic nervous system and explain its relationship to the peripheral nervous system.
Compare the somatic and autonomic nervous systems relative to effectors, efferent pathways, and neurotransmit-ters released.
Compare and contrast the functions of the parasympathetic and sympathetic divisions.
Comparison of the Somatic
and Autonomic Nervous Systems
In our previous discussions of motor nerves, we have focused largely on the activity of the somatic nervous system. So, before describing autonomic nervous system anatomy, we will point out the major differences between the somatic and autonomic systems as well as some areas of functional overlap.
Both systems have motor fibers, but the somatic and auto-nomic nervous systems differ (1) in their effectors, (2) in their
efferent pathways, and (3) to some degree in target organ responses to their neurotransmitters. Consult Figure 14.2for a summary of the differences as we discuss them next.
Effectors
The somatic nervous system stimulates skeletal muscles, whereas the ANS innervates cardiac and smooth muscle and glands. Differences in the physiology of the effector organs ac-count for most of the remaining differences between somatic and autonomic effects on their target organs.
Efferent Pathways and Ganglia
In the somatic nervous system, the motor neuron cell bodies are in the CNS, and their axons extend in spinal or cranial nerves all the way to the skeletal muscles they activate. Somatic motor fibers are typically thick, heavily myelinated group A fibers that conduct nerve impulses rapidly.
In contrast, the ANS uses a two-neuron chain to its effectors. The cell body of the first neuron, the preganglionic neuron, re-sides in the brain or spinal cord. Its axon, the preganglionic axon, synapses with the second motor neuron, the ganglionic neuron, in an autonomic ganglion outside the CNS. The axon of the ganglionic neuron, called the postganglionic axon, ex-tends to the effector organ. If you think about the meanings of all these terms while referring to Figure 14.2, understanding the rest of the chapter will be much easier.
Preganglionic axons are lightly myelinated, thin fibers, and postganglionic axons are even thinner and are unmyelinated. Consequently, conduction through the autonomic efferent chain is slower than conduction in the somatic motor system. For most of their course, many pre- and postganglionic fibers are incorporated into spinal or cranial nerves.
Keep in mind that autonomic ganglia are motor ganglia, con-taining the cell bodies of motor neurons. Technically, they are sites of synapse and information transmission from pregan-glionic to ganpregan-glionic neurons. Also, remember that the somatic 14
Central nervous system (CNS) Peripheral nervous system (PNS)
Motor (efferent) division Sensory (afferent)
division
Somatic nervous
system Autonomic nervoussystem (ANS)
Sympathetic
division Parasympatheticdivision
motor division lacks ganglia entirely. The dorsal root ganglia are part of the sensory, not the motor, division of the PNS.
Neurotransmitter Effects
All somatic motor neurons release acetylcholine (ACh) at their
synapses with skeletal muscle fibers. The effect is always
excitatory, and if stimulation reaches threshold, the muscle
fibers contract.
Neurotransmitters released onto visceral effector organs by postganglionic autonomic fibers include norepinephrine (NE) secreted by most sympathetic fibers, and ACh released by parasympathetic fibers. Depending on the type of receptors present on the target organ, the organ’s response may be either excitation or inhibition (Figure 14.2; see Table 14.2 on p. 536).
Overlap of Somatic and Autonomic Function
Higher brain centers regulate and coordinate both somatic and autonomic motor activities, and nearly all spinal nerves (and many cranial nerves) contain both somatic and autonomic fibers. Moreover, most of the body’s adaptations to changing internal and external conditions involve both skeletal muscle activity and enhanced responses of certain visceral organs. For example, when skeletal muscles are working hard, they need more oxygen and glucose and so autonomic control
mecha-nisms speed up heart rate and dilate airways to meet these needs and maintain homeostasis.
The ANS is only one part of our highly integrated nervous sys-tem, but according to convention we will consider it an individual entity and describe its role in isolation in the sections that follow.
ANS Divisions
The two arms of the ANS, the parasympathetic and sympathetic
divisions, generally serve the same visceral organs but cause
es-sentially opposite effects. If one division stimulates certain smooth muscles to contract or a gland to secrete, the other divi-sion inhibits that action. Through this dual innervation, the two divisions counterbalance each other’s activities to keep body systems running smoothly. The sympathetic division mo-bilizes the body during activity, whereas the parasympathetic arm promotes maintenance functions and conserves body en-ergy. Let’s elaborate on these functional differences by focusing briefly on extreme situations in which each division is exerting primary control.
Role of the Parasympathetic Division
The parasympathetic division, sometimes called the “resting and digesting” system, keeps body energy use as low as possible, even as it directs vital “housekeeping” activities like digestion
14 SOMA TIC NER VOUS SYSTEM Skeletal muscle
Cell bodies in central
nervous system Peripheral nervous system Effect
+
+
Effector organs ACh ACh Smooth muscle (e.g., in gut), glands, cardiac muscle GanglionAdrenal medulla Blood vessel
SYMP ATHETIC AUT ONOMIC NER VOUS SYSTEM ACh ACh ACh NE Epinephrine and norepinephrine
Acetylcholine (ACh) Norepinephrine (NE)
Ganglion
PARASYMP
ATHETIC
Heavily myelinated axon Lightly myelinated preganglionic axon Lightly myelinated preganglionic axons Neurotransmitter at effector Unmyelinated postganglionic axon Unmyelinated postganglionic axon Stimulatory Stimulatory or inhibitory, depending on neuro-transmitter and receptors on effector organs Single neuron from CNS to effector organs
Two-neuron chain from CNS to effector organs
and elimination of feces and urine. (This explains why it is a good idea to relax after a heavy meal: so that digestion is not in-terfered with by sympathetic activity.) Parasympathetic activity is best illustrated in a person who relaxes after a meal and reads the newspaper. Blood pressure and heart rate are regulated at low normal levels, and the gastrointestinal tract is actively di-gesting food. In the eyes, the pupils are constricted and the lenses are accommodated for close vision to improve the clarity of the close-up image.
Role of the Sympathetic Division
The sympathetic division is often referred to as the “fight-or-flight” system. Its activity is evident when we are excited or find ourselves in emergency or threatening situations, such as being frightened by street toughs late at night. A rapidly pounding heart; deep breathing; dry mouth; cold, sweaty skin; and dilated eye pupils are sure signs of sympathetic nervous system mobi-lization. Not as obvious, but equally characteristic, are changes in brain wave patterns and in the electrical resistance of the skin (galvanic skin resistance)—events that are recorded during lie detector examinations.
During any type of vigorous physical activity, the sympa-thetic division also promotes a number of other adjustments. Visceral (and sometimes cutaneous) blood vessels are con-stricted, and blood is shunted to active skeletal muscles and the vigorously working heart. The bronchioles in the lungs dilate, increasing ventilation (and ultimately increasing oxygen deliv-ery to body cells), and the liver releases more glucose into the blood to accommodate the increased energy needs of body cells. At the same time, temporarily nonessential activities, such as gastrointestinal tract motility, are damped. If you are running from a mugger, digesting lunch can wait! It is far more impor-tant that your muscles be provided with everything they need to get you out of danger. In such active situations, the sympathetic division generates a head of steam that enables the body to cope with situations that threaten homeostasis. Its function is to pro-vide the optimal conditions for an appropriate response to some threat, whether that response is to run, to see better, or to think more clearly.
We have just looked at two extreme situations in which one or the other branch of the ANS dominates. An easy way to re-member the most important roles of the two ANS divisions is to think of the parasympathetic division as the D division [diges-tion, defeca[diges-tion, and diuresis (urination)], and the sympathetic division as the E division (exercise, excitement, emergency, em-barrassment). A more detailed summary of the effects of each division on various organs is presented in Table 14.4 (p. 538).
Remember, however, that while we may find it easy to think of the two ANS divisions as working in an all-or-none fashion as described above, this is rarely the case. A dynamic antago-nism exists between the divisions, and fine adjustments are made continuously by both.
C H E C K Y O U R U N D E R S TA N D I N G
1. Name the three types of effectors of the autonomic nervous system.
2. Which relays instructions from the CNS to muscles more quickly, the somatic nervous system or the ANS? Explain why. 3. Which branch of the ANS would predominate if you were
lying on the beach enjoying the sun and the sound of the waves? Which branch would predominate if you were on a surfboard and a shark appeared within a few feet of you?
For answers, see Appendix G.
ANS Anatomy
For the parasympathetic and sympathetic divisions, describe the site of CNS origin, locations of ganglia, and general fiber pathways.
Anatomically, the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions differ in
1.Their origin sites.Parasympathetic fibers emerge from the brain and sacral spinal cord (are craniosacral).
Sympa-14 Figure 14.3 Overview of the subdivisions of the ANS. The
parasympathetic and sympathetic divisions differ anatomically in (1) the sites of origin of their nerves, (2) the relative lengths of their preganglionic and postganglionic fibers, and (3) the locations of their ganglia (indicated here by synapse sites).
*Although sympathetic innervation to the skin is mapped to the cervical re-gion here, all nerves to the periphery carry postganglionic sympathetic fibers. Salivary glands Eye Skin* Heart Lungs Liver and gall-bladder Genitals Pancreas Eye Lungs Bladder Liver and gall-bladder Pancreas Stomach Cervical Sympathetic ganglia Cranial Lumbar Thoracic Genitals Heart Salivary glands Stomach Bladder Adrenal gland Parasympathetic Sympathetic Sacral Brain stem L1 T1
thetic fibers originate in the thoracolumbar region of the spinal cord.
2.The relative lengths of their fibers.The parasympathetic division has long preganglionic and short postganglionic fibers. The sympathetic division has the opposite condition. 3.The location of their ganglia.Most parasympathetic gan-glia are located in the visceral effector organs. Sympathetic ganglia lie close to the spinal cord.
Note that these and other differences are illustrated in Fig-ure 14.3and summarized in Table 14.1, p. 534.
We begin our detailed exploration of the ANS with the anatomically simpler parasympathetic division.
Parasympathetic (Craniosacral) Division
The parasympathetic division is also called the craniosacral division because its preganglionic fibers spring from opposite ends of the CNS—the brain stem and the sacral region of the spinal cord (Figure 14.4). The preganglionic axons extend from the CNS nearly all the way to the structures to be innervated. There the axons synapse with ganglionic neurons located in terminal ganglia that lie very close to or within the target or-gans. Very short postganglionic axons issue from the terminal ganglia and synapse with effector cells in their immediate area.
Cranial Outflow
Preganglionic fibers run in the oculomotor, facial, glossopharyn-geal, and vagus cranial nerves. Their cell bodies lie in associated motor cranial-nerve nuclei in the brain stem (see Figures 12.15 and 12.16). We describe the precise locations of the neurons of the cranial parasympathetics next.
1.Oculomotor nerves (III).The parasympathetic fibers of the oculomotor nerves innervate smooth muscles in the eyes that cause the pupils to constrict and the lenses to bulge— actions needed to focus on close objects. The preganglionic axons found in the oculomotor nerves issue from the
accessory oculomotor (Edinger-Westphal) nuclei in the
mid-brain. The cell bodies of the ganglionic neurons are in the ciliary ganglia within the eye orbits (see Table 13.2, p. 496). 2.Facial nerves (VII).The parasympathetic fibers of the facial nerves stimulate many large glands in the head. Fibers that activate the nasal glands and the lacrimal glands of the eyes originate in the lacrimal nuclei of the pons. The pre-ganglionic fibers synapse with pre-ganglionic neurons in the pterygopalatine ganglia (tereh-go-palah-tı-n) just pos-terior to the maxillae. The preganglionic neurons that stimulate the submandibular and sublingual salivary glands originate in the superior salivatory nuclei of the pons and synapse with ganglionic neurons in the submandibular ganglia, deep to the mandibular angles (see Table 13.2, p. 498).
3.Glossopharyngeal nerves (IX). The parasympathetics in the glossopharyngeal nerves originate in the inferior
saliva-tory nuclei of the medulla and synapse in the otic ganglia,
located just inferior to the foramen ovale of the skull. The
14 CN III CN VII CN IX CN X Eye Lacrimal gland Ciliary ganglion Nasal mucosa Ciliary ganglion Pterygopalatine Pterygopalatine ganglion ganglion Pterygopalatine ganglion Submandibular ganglion Submandibular and sublingual glands CN III CN VII CN IX CN X Otic ganglion Parotid gland Heart Lung Liver and gallbladder Stomach Pancreas Urinary bladder and ureters Small intestine Large intestine S2 Pelvic splanchnic nerves
Genitalia (penis, clitoris, and vagina)
Rectum Celiac plexus Inferior hypogastric plexus Cardiac and pulmonary plexuses S4 Preganglionic Postganglionic Cranial nerve CN
postganglionic fibers course to and activate the parotid salivary glands anterior to the ears (see Table 13.2, p. 500).
Cranial nerves III, VII, and IX supply the entire para-sympathetic innervation of the head; however, only the
preganglionic fibers lie within these three pairs of cranial
nerves—postganglionic fibers do not. Many of the postgan-glionic fibers “hitch a ride” with branches of the trigeminal
nerve (V), taking advantage of its wide distribution, while
others travel independently to their destinations.
4.Vagus nerves (X).The remaining and major portion of the parasympathetic cranial outflow is via the vagus (X) nerves. Between them, the two vagus nerves account for about 90% of all preganglionic parasympathetic fibers in the body. They provide fibers to the neck and to nerve plexuses (interweaving networks of nerves) that serve vir-tually every organ in the thoracic and abdominal cavities. The vagal nerve fibers (preganglionic axons) arise mostly from the dorsal motor nuclei of the medulla and synapse in terminal ganglia usually located in the walls of the target organ. Most terminal ganglia are not individually named. Instead they are collectively called intramural ganglia, lit-erally, “ganglia within the walls.”
As the vagus nerves pass into the thorax, they send branches to the cardiac plexuses supplying fibers to the heart that slow heart rate, the pulmonary plexuses serv-ing the lungs and bronchi, and the esophageal plexuses (e˘-sofah-jeal) supplying the esophagus.
When the main trunks of the vagus nerves reach the esophagus, their fibers intermingle, forming the anterior and posterior vagal trunks, each containing fibers from both vagus nerves. These vagal trunks then “ride” the esophagus down to the abdominal cavity. There they send fibers through the large abdominal aortic plexus [formed by a number of smaller plexuses (e.g., celiac, superior
mesenteric, and hypogastric) that run along the aorta]
before giving off branches to the abdominal viscera. The vagus nerves innervate the liver, gallbladder, stomach, small intestine, kidneys, pancreas, and the proximal half of the large intestine.
Sacral Outflow
The rest of the large intestine and the pelvic organs are served by the sacral outflow, which arises from neurons located in the lat-eral gray matter of spinal cord segments S2–S4. Axons of these neurons run in the ventral roots of the spinal nerves to the ventral rami and then branch off to form the pelvic splanchnic nerves, which pass through the inferior hypogastric (pelvic) plexus in the pelvic floor (Figure 14.4). Some preganglionic fibers synapse with ganglia in this plexus, but most synapse in intramural gan-glia in the walls of the following organs: distal half of the large in-testine, urinary bladder, ureters, and reproductive organs.
Sympathetic (Thoracolumbar) Division
The sympathetic division is anatomically more complex than the parasympathetic division, partly because it innervates more organs. It supplies not only the visceral organs in the internal
body cavities but also all visceral structures in the superficial (somatic) part of the body. This sounds impossible, but there is an explanation—some glands and smooth muscle structures in the soma (sweat glands and the hair-raising arrector pili mus-cles of the skin) require autonomic innervation and are served only by sympathetic fibers. In addition, all arteries and veins (be they deep or superficial) have smooth muscle in their walls that is innervated by sympathetic fibers. But we will explain these matters later—let us get on with the anatomy of the sympa-thetic division.
All preganglionic fibers of the sympathetic division arise from cell bodies of preganglionic neurons in spinal cord seg-ments T1through L2(Figure 14.3). For this reason, the sympa-thetic division is also referred to as the thoracolumbar division (thorah-ko-lumbar). The presence of numerous pregan-glionic sympathetic neurons in the gray matter of the spinal cord produces the lateral horns—the so-called visceral motor zones (see Figures 12.31b, p. 469, and 12.32, p. 470). The lateral horns are just posterolateral to the ventral horns that house somatic motor neurons. (Parasympathetic preganglionic neu-rons in the sacral cord are far less abundant than the comparable sympathetic neurons in the thoracolumbar regions, and lateral
horns are absent in the sacral region of the spinal cord. This is a
major anatomical difference between the two divisions.) After leaving the cord via the ventral root, preganglionic sympathetic fibers pass through a white ramus communicans [plural: rami communicantes (kom-munı˘-kante¯z)] to enter an adjoining sympathetic trunk ganglion forming part of the sympathetic trunk (or sympathetic chain,Figure 14.5). Looking like strands of glistening white beads, the sympathetic trunks flank each side of the vertebral column. The sympathetic trunk ganglia are also called chain ganglia or paravertebral (“near the vertebrae”) ganglia.
Although the sympathetic trunks extend from neck to pelvis, sympathetic fibers arise only from the thoracic and lum-bar cord segments, as shown in Figure 14.3. The ganglia vary in size, position, and number, but typically there are 23 in each sympathetic trunk—3 cervical, 11 thoracic, 4 lumbar, 4 sacral, and 1 coccygeal.
Once a preganglionic axon reaches a trunk ganglion, one of three things can happen to the axon, as shown by the three path-ways in Figure 14.5b:
The axon can synapse with a ganglionic neuron in the same trunk ganglion.
The axon can ascend or descend the sympathetic trunk to synapse in another trunk ganglion. (These fibers running from one ganglion to another connect the ganglia together to form the sympathetic trunk.)
The axon can pass through the trunk ganglion and emerge from the sympathetic trunk without synapsing.
Preganglionic fibers following the third pathway help form several splanchnic nerves (splanknik) that synapse in collateral, or prevertebral, ganglia located anterior to the vertebral col-umn. Unlike sympathetic trunk ganglia, the collateral ganglia are neither paired nor segmentally arranged and occur only in the abdomen and pelvis.
3 2 1
14 To effector Blood vessels Skin (arrector pili muscles and sweat glands) Spinal cord Dorsal root Ventral root Sympathetic trunk ganglion Sympathetic trunk Rib
Dorsal root ganglion Dorsal ramus of spinal nerve Dorsal root Sympathetic trunk ganglion Lateral horn (visceral motor zone) Ventral root Sympathetic trunk Ventral ramus of spinal nerve Gray ramus communicans White ramus communicans Gray ramus communicans White ramus communicans Thoracic splanchnic nerves Splanchnic nerve Collateral ganglion (such as the celiac)
Target organ in abdomen (e.g., intestine) Ventral ramus of
spinal nerve
Synapse at the same level
1
Synapse at a higher or lower level
2
Synapse in a distant collateral ganglion anterior to the vertebral column
3
(a) Location of the sympathetic trunk
(b) Three pathways of sympathetic innervation Figure 14.5 Sympathetic trunks and pathways. (a) Diagram
of the right sympathetic trunk in the posterior thorax, along the side of the vertebral column. (b) Synapses between preganglionic and ganglionic sympathetic neurons can occur at three different locations—either in a sympathetic trunk ganglion at the same or a different level, or in a collateral ganglion.
14
Regardless of where the synapse occurs, all sympathetic gan-glia are close to the spinal cord, and their postganglionic fibers are typically much longer than their preganglionic fibers. Recall that the opposite condition exists in the parasympathetic divi-sion, an important anatomical distinction.
Pathways with Synapses in Trunk Ganglia
When synapses are made in sympathetic trunk ganglia, the postganglionic axons enter the ventral (or dorsal) ramus of the adjoining spinal nerves by way of communicating branches called gray rami communicantes (Figure 14.5). From there they travel via branches of the rami to their effectors, including sweat glands and arrector pili muscles of the skin. Anywhere along their path, the postganglionic axons may transfer over to nearby blood vessels and innervate the vascular smooth muscle all the way to their final branches.
Notice that the naming of the rami communicantes as white or gray reflects their appearance, revealing whether or not their fibers are myelinated (and has no relationship to the white and gray matter of the CNS). Preganglionic fibers composing the white rami are myelinated. Postganglionic axons forming the gray rami are not.
The white rami, which carry preganglionic axons to the sym-pathetic trunks, are found only in the T1–L2cord segments, re-gions of sympathetic outflow. However, gray rami carrying postganglionic fibers headed for the periphery issue from every trunk ganglion from the cervical to the sacral region, allowing sympathetic output to reach all parts of the body. Note that rami
communicantes are associated only with the sympathetic division
and never carry parasympathetic fibers.
Pathways to the Head Sympathetic preganglionic fibers serv-ing the head emerge from spinal cord segments T1–T4and as-cend the sympathetic trunk to synapse with ganglionic neurons in the superior cervical ganglion(Figure 14.6). This ganglion contributes sympathetic fibers that run in several cranial nerves and with the upper three or four cervical spinal nerves. Besides serving the skin and blood vessels of the head, its fibers stimu-late the dilator muscles of the irises of the eyes, inhibit the nasal and salivary glands (the reason your mouth goes dry when you are scared), and innervate the smooth (tarsal) muscle that lifts the upper eyelid. The superior cervical ganglion also sends di-rect branches to the heart.
Pathways to the Thorax Sympathetic preganglionic fibers innervating the thoracic organs originate at T1–T6. From there the preganglionic fibers run to synapse in the cervical trunk ganglia. Postganglionic fibers emerging from the middle and inferior cervical ganglia enter cervical nerves C4–C8 (Fig-ure 14.6). Some of these fibers innervate the heart via the cardiac plexus, and some innervate the thyroid gland, but most serve the skin. Additionally, some T1–T6preganglionic fibers synapse in the nearest trunk ganglion, and the postganglionic fibers pass directly to the organ served. Fibers to the heart, aorta, lungs, and esophagus take this direct route. Along the way, they run into the plexuses associated with those organs.
Pathways with Synapses in Collateral Ganglia
Most of the preganglionic fibers from T5down synapse in collat-eral ganglia, and so most of these fibers enter and leave the sym-pathetic trunks without synapsing. They form several nerves called splanchnic nerves, including the thoracic splanchnic nerves (greater, lesser, and least) and the lumbar and sacral splanchnic nerves.
The splanchnic nerves contribute to a number of interweav-ing nerve plexuses known collectively as the abdominal aortic
plexus, which clings to the surface of the abdominal aorta. This
complex plexus contains several ganglia that together serve the abdominopelvic viscera (splanchni = viscera). From superior to inferior, the most important of these ganglia (and related sub-plexuses) are the celiac, superior mesenteric, and inferior mesenteric, named for the arteries with which they most closely associate (Figure 14.6). Postganglionic fibers issuing from these ganglia generally travel to their target organs in the company of the arteries serving these organs.
Pathways to the Abdomen Sympathetic innervation of the abdomen is via preganglionic fibers from T5to L2, which travel in the thoracic splanchnic nerves to synapse mainly at the celiac and superior mesenteric ganglia. Postganglionic fibers issuing from these ganglia serve the stomach, intestines (except the dis-tal half of the large intestine), liver, spleen, and kidneys.
Pathways to the Pelvis Preganglionic fibers innervating the pelvis originate from T10to L2and then descend in the sympa-thetic trunk to the lumbar and sacral trunk ganglia. Some fibers synapse there and the postganglionic fibers run in lumbar and sacral splanchnic nerves to plexuses on the lower aorta and in the pelvis. Other preganglionic fibers pass directly to these auto-nomic plexuses and synapse in collateral ganglia, such as the inferior mesenteric ganglion. Postganglionic fibers proceed from these plexuses to the pelvic organs (the urinary bladder and reproductive organs) and also the distal half of the large intestine. For the most part, sympathetic fibers inhibit the activity of the muscles and glands in these visceral organs.
Pathways with Synapses in the Adrenal Medulla Some fibers traveling in the thoracic splanchnic nerves pass through the celiac ganglion without synapsing and terminate by synapsing with the hormone-producing medullary cells of the adrenal gland (Figure 14.6). When stimulated by preganglionic fibers, the medullary cells secrete NE and epinephrine (also called noradrenaline and adrenaline, respectively) into the blood, producing the excitatory effects we have all felt as a “surge of adrenaline.” Embryologically, sympathetic ganglia and the adrenal medulla arise from the same tissue. For this reason, the adrenal medulla is sometimes viewed as a “misplaced” sym-pathetic ganglion, and its hormone-releasing cells, although lacking nerve processes, are considered equivalent to ganglionic sympathetic neurons.
14 Superior cervical ganglion Middle cervical ganglion Inferior cervical ganglion Sympathetic trunk (chain) ganglia Pons L2 T1 White rami communicantes Liver and gallbladder Stomach Spleen Kidney Adrenal medulla Small intestine Large intestine
Genitalia (uterus, vagina, and penis) and urinary bladder Celiac ganglion
Inferior mesenteric ganglion Lesser splanchnic nerve Greater splanchnic nerve
Superior mesenteric ganglion Lumbar splanchnic nerves Eye Lacrimal gland Nasal mucosa Blood vessels; skin (arrector pili muscles and sweat glands) Salivary glands Heart Lung Rectum Cardiac and pulmonary plexuses Preganglionic Postganglionic Sacral splanchnic nerves
Figure 14.6 Sympathetic division of the ANS. Sympathetic innervation to peripheral structures (blood vessels, glands, and arrector pili muscles) occurs in all areas but is shown only in the cervical area.
Visceral Reflexes
Because most anatomists consider the ANS to be a visceral motor system, the presence of sensory fibers (mostly visceral pain afferents) is often overlooked. However, visceral sensory neurons, which send information concerning chemical changes, stretch, and irritation of the viscera, are the first link in autonomic reflexes. Visceral reflex arcs have essentially the same components as somatic reflex arcs—receptor, sensory neuron, integration center, motor neuron, effector—except that a visceral reflex arc has two neurons in its motor component (Figure 14.7; compare with Figure 13.14).
Nearly all the sympathetic and parasympathetic fibers we have described so far are accompanied by afferent fibers con-ducting sensory impulses from glands or muscles. This means that peripheral processes of visceral sensory neurons are found in cranial nerves VII, IX, and X, splanchnic nerves, and the sym-pathetic trunk, as well as in spinal nerves.
Like sensory neurons serving somatic structures (skeletal muscles and skin), the cell bodies of visceral sensory neurons are located either in the sensory ganglia of associated cranial nerves or in dorsal root ganglia of the spinal cord. Visceral sen-sory neurons are also found in sympathetic ganglia where pre-ganglionic neurons synapse.
Furthermore, complete three-neuron reflex arcs (with sensory neurons, interneurons, and motor neurons) exist entirely within the walls of the gastrointestinal tract. Neurons composing these reflex arcs make up the enteric nervous system, which plays an im-portant role in controlling gastrointestinal tract activity. We will discuss the enteric nervous system in more detail in Chapter 23.
The fact that visceral pain afferents travel along the same pathways as somatic pain fibers helps explain the phenomenon 14
Spinal cord Dorsal root ganglion
Autonomic ganglion Stimulus Response Visceral sensory neuron Integration center •May be preganglionic neuron (as shown) •May be a dorsal horn interneuron
•May be within walls of gastrointestinal tract Sensory receptor in viscera 2 3 1 5 Visceral effector Efferent pathway (two-neuron chain) •Preganglionic neuron •Ganglionic neuron 4
Figure 14.7 Visceral reflexes. Visceral reflex arcs have the same five elements as somatic reflex arcs. The visceral afferent (sensory) fibers are found both in spinal nerves (as depicted here) and in auto-nomic nerves.
Anatomical and Physiological Differences Between the Parasympathetic and Sympathetic Divisions
CHARACTERISTIC PARASYMPATHETIC SYMPATHETIC
Origin Craniosacral outflow: brain stem nu-clei of cranial nerves III, VII, IX, and X; spinal cord segments S2–S4.
Thoracolumbar outflow: lateral horns of gray matter of spinal cord segments T1–L2.
Location of ganglia Ganglia (terminal ganglia) are with-in the visceral organ (with-intramural) or close to the organ served.
Ganglia are within a few centimeters of CNS: alongside vertebral column (sympathetic trunk ganglia) and anterior to vertebral column (collateral, or prevertebral, ganglia).
Relative length of pre-and postganglionic fibers
Long preganglionic; short postgan-glionic.
Short preganglionic; long postganglionic.
Rami communicantes None. Gray and white rami communicantes. White rami contain myelin-ated preganglionic fibers; gray contain unmyelinmyelin-ated postgangli-onic fibers.
Degree of branching of preganglionic fibers
Minimal. Extensive.
Functional role Maintenance functions; conserves and stores energy; “rest and digest.”
Prepares body for activity; “fight-or-flight.”
Neurotransmitters All preganglionic and postganglionic fibers release ACh (are cholinergic fibers).
All preganglionic fibers release ACh. Most postganglionic fibers release norepinephrine (are adrenergic fibers); postganglionic fibers serving sweat glands and some blood vessels of skeletal muscles release ACh. Neurotransmitter activity is augmented by release of adrenal medullary hormones (norepinephrine and epinephrine).
of referred pain, in which pain stimuli arising in the viscera are perceived as somatic in origin. For example, a heart attack may produce a sensation of pain that radiates to the superior tho-racic wall and along the medial aspect of the left arm. Because the same spinal segments (T1–T5) innervate both the heart and the regions to which pain signals from heart tissue are referred, the brain interprets most such inputs as coming from the more common somatic pathway. Cutaneous areas to which visceral pain is commonly referred are shown in Figure 14.8.
C H E C K Y O U R U N D E R S TA N D I N G
4. State whether each of the following is a characteristic of the sympathetic or parasympathetic nervous system: short preganglionic fibers; origin from thoracolumbar region of spinal cord; terminal ganglia; collateral ganglia, innervates adrenal medulla.
5. How does a visceral reflex differ from a somatic reflex?
For answers, see Appendix G.
ANS Physiology
Define cholinergic and adrenergic fibers, and list the different types of their receptors.
Describe the clinical importance of drugs that mimic or inhibit adrenergic or cholinergic effects.
State the effects of the parasympathetic and sympathetic divisions on the following organs: heart, blood vessels, gas-trointestinal tract, lungs, adrenal medulla, and external genitalia.
Describe autonomic nervous system controls.
Neurotransmitters and Receptors
The major neurotransmitters released by ANS neurons are
acetylcholine (ACh) and norepinephrine (NE). ACh, the same
neurotransmitter secreted by somatic motor neurons, is released by (1) all ANS preganglionic axons and (2) all parasympathetic postganglionic axons at synapses with their effectors. ACh-releasing fibers are called cholinergic fibers (kolin-erjik).
In contrast, most sympathetic postganglionic axons release NE and are classified as adrenergic fibers (adren-erjik). Some exceptions are sympathetic postganglionic fibers innervating sweat glands and some blood vessels in skeletal muscles. These fibers secrete ACh.
Unfortunately for memorization purposes, the effects of ACh and NE on their effectors are not consistently either excita-tion or inhibiexcita-tion. Why not? The response of visceral effectors to these neurotransmitters depends not only on the neurotrans-mitter but also on the receptor to which it attaches. The two or more kinds of receptors for each autonomic neurotransmitter allow it to exert different effects (activation or inhibition) at dif-ferent body targets.Table 14.2provides a comprehensive sum-mary of the receptor types that we introduce next.
Cholinergic Receptors
The two types of receptors that bind ACh are named for drugs that bind to them and mimic acetylcholine’s effects. The first of these receptors identified were the nicotinic receptors (niko-tinik), which respond to nicotine. A mushroom poison,
muscarine (muskah-rin), activates a different set of ACh
recep-tors, named muscarinic receptors. All ACh receptors are either nicotinic or muscarinic.
Nicotinic receptors are found on (1) the sarcolemma of skeletal muscle cells at neuromuscular junctions (which, as you will recall, are somatic and not autonomic targets), (2) all gan-glionic neurons, both sympathetic and parasympathetic, and (3) the hormone-producing cells of the adrenal medulla. The effect of ACh binding to nicotinic receptors anywhere is always stimulatory. Just as at the sarcolemma of skeletal muscle (exam-ined in Chapter 9), ACh binding to any nicotinic receptor di-rectly opens ion channels, depolarizing the postsynaptic cell.
Muscarinic receptors occur on all effector cells stimulated by postganglionic cholinergic fibers—that is, all parasympathetic target organs and a few sympathetic targets, such as eccrine sweat glands and some blood vessels of skeletal muscles. The ef-fect of ACh binding to muscarinic receptors can be either in-hibitory or stimulatory, depending on the subclass of muscarinic receptor found on the target organ. For example, binding of ACh to cardiac muscle receptors slows heart activity, whereas ACh binding to receptors on smooth muscle of the gas-trointestinal tract increases its motility.
14 Heart Lungs and diaphragm Liver Stomach Kidneys Ovaries Small intestine Ureters Urinary bladder Colon Pancreas Liver Heart Appendix Gallbladder
Figure 14.8 Map of referred pain. This map shows the anterior skin areas to which pain is referred from certain visceral organs.
Adrenergic Receptors
There are also two major classes of adrenergic (NE-binding) re-ceptors: alpha () and beta (). These receptors are further di-vided into subclasses (1and 2;1,2, and 3). Organs that respond to NE (or to epinephrine) have one or more of these receptor subtypes.
NE or epinephrine can have either excitatory or inhibitory ef-fects on target organs depending on which subclass of receptor predominates in that organ. For example, binding of NE to the 1 receptors of cardiac muscle prods the heart into more vigorous activity, whereas epinephrine binding to 2receptors in bronchi-ole smooth muscle causes it to relax, dilating the bronchibronchi-ole.
The Effects of Drugs
Knowing the locations of the cholinergic and adrenergic recep-tor subtypes allows specific drugs to be prescribed to obtain the desired inhibitory or stimulatory effects on selected target organs. For example, atropine is an anticholinergic drug that blocks muscarinic ACh receptors. It is routinely administered before surgery to prevent salivation and to dry up respiratory system secretions. Ophthalmologists also use it to dilate the pupils for eye examination. The anticholinesterase drug
neostigmine inhibits the enzyme acetylcholinesterase,
prevent-ing enzymatic breakdown of ACh and allowprevent-ing it to accumulate in synapses. This drug is used to treat myasthenia gravis, a
con-dition in which skeletal muscle activity is impaired for lack of ACh stimulation.
As we described in Chapter 11, NE is one of our “feeling good” neurotransmitters, and drugs that prolong the activity of NE on the postsynaptic membrane help to relieve depression. Hundreds of over-the-counter drugs used to treat colds, coughs, allergies, and nasal congestion contain sympathomimetics (phenylephrine and others), sympathetic-mimicking drugs that stimulate -adrenergic receptors.
Much pharmaceutical research is directed toward finding drugs that affect only one subclass of receptor without upsetting the whole adrenergic or cholinergic system. An important breakthrough was finding drugs that mainly activate 2 recep-tors. People with asthma use such 2activators to dilate their lung bronchioles without activating 1receptors, which would increase their heart rate. Selected drug classes that influence ANS activity are summarized in Table 14.3.
Interactions of the Autonomic Divisions
As we mentioned earlier, most visceral organs receive dual
innervation. Normally, both ANS divisions are partially active,
producing a dynamic antagonism that allows visceral activity to be precisely controlled. However, one division or the other usu-ally exerts the predominant effects in given circumstances, and in a few cases, the two divisions actually cooperate with each 14
Cholinergic and Adrenergic Receptors
NEUROTRANSMITTER RECEPTOR TYPE MAJOR LOCATIONS* EFFECT OF BINDING
Acetylcholine Cholinergic
Nicotinic All ganglionic neurons; adrenal medullary cells (also neuromuscular junctions of skeletal muscle)
Excitation
Muscarinic All parasympathetic target organs Excitation in most cases; inhibition of cardiac muscle
Limited sympathetic targets:
■Eccrine sweat glands
■Blood vessels in skeletal muscles
Activation
Vasodilation (may not occur in humans) Norepinephrine (and
epinephrine released by adrenal medulla)
Adrenergic
1 Heart predominantly, but also kidneys and
adipose tissue
Increases heart rate and strength; stimulates renin release by kidneys
2 Lungs and most other sympathetic target
organs; abundant on blood vessels serving the heart, liver and skeletal muscle
Effects mostly inhibitory; dilates blood vessels and bronchioles; relaxes smooth muscle walls of digestive and urinary visceral organs; relaxes uterus
3 Adipose tissue Stimulates lipolysis by fat cells
1 Most importantly blood vessels serving the
skin, mucosae, abdominal viscera, kidneys, and salivary glands; also, virtually all sympa-thetic target organs except heart
Constricts blood vessels and visceral organ sphincters; dilates pupils of the eyes
2 Membrane of adrenergic axon terminals;
pancreas; blood platelets
Inhibits NE release from adrenergic terminals; inhibits insulin secretion by pancreas; promotes blood clotting
* Note that all of these receptor subtypes are also found in the CNS.
other.Table 14.4contains an organ-by-organ summary of the differing effects of the two divisions.
Antagonistic Interactions
Antagonistic effects, described earlier, are most clearly seen on the activity of the heart, respiratory system, and gastrointestinal organs. In a fight-or-flight situation, the sympathetic division increases heart rate, dilates airways, and inhibits digestion and elimination. When the emergency is over, the parasympathetic division restores heart rate and airway diameter to resting levels and then attends to processes that refuel your body cells and dis-card wastes.
Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Tone
We have described the parasympathetic division as the “resting and digesting” division, but the sympathetic division is the major actor in controlling blood pressure, even at rest. With few excep-tions, the vascular system is entirely innervated by sympathetic fibers that keep the blood vessels in a continual state of partial constriction called sympathetic, or vasomotor, tone. When a higher blood pressure is needed to maintain blood flow, the sym-pathetic fibers fire more rapidly, causing blood vessels to con-strict and blood pressure to rise. When blood pressure is to be decreased, sympathetic fibers fire less rapidly and the vessels di-late. Alpha-blockers, drugs that interfere with the activity of these vasomotor fibers, are sometimes used to treat hypertension.
14 Selected Drug Classes That Influence the Activity of the Autonomic Nervous System
DRUG CLASS RECEPTOR BOUND EFFECTS EXAMPLE CLINICAL USE
Nicotinic agents (little therapeutic value, but important because of presence of nicotine in tobacco)
Nicotinic ACh recep-tors on all ganglionic neurons and in CNS
Typically stimulation of sympathetic effects; blood pressure increases
Nicotine Used in smoking cessation products Parasympathomimetic agents (muscarinic agents) Muscarinic ACh receptors
Mimic effects of ACh, enhance parasympathetic effects
Pilocarpine Glaucoma (opens aqueous humor drainage pores)
Bethanechol Difficulty urinating (increases bladder contraction) Acetylcholinesterase
inhibitors
None; bind to the enzyme (AChE) that degrades ACh
Indirect effect at all ACh receptors; prolong the effect of ACh
Neostigmine Myasthenia gravis, (increases availability of ACh)
Sarin Used as chemical warfare agent (similar to widely used insecticides)
Sympathomimetic agents
Adrenergic receptors Enhance sympathetic activity by increasing NE release or binding to adrenergic receptors
Albuterol (Ventolin) Asthma (dilates bronchioles by binding to 2receptors)
Phenylephrine Colds (nasal decongestant, binds to 1 receptors)
Sympatholytic agents Adrenergic receptors Decrease sympathetic activity by blocking adrenergic receptors or inhibiting NE release
Propranolol Hypertension (member of a class of drugs called
beta-blockers that decrease heart
rate and blood pressure)
TABLE 14.3
During circulatory shock (inadequate blood delivery to body tissues), or when more blood is needed to meet the increased needs of working skeletal muscles, blood vessels serving the skin and abdominal viscera are strongly constricted. This blood “shunting” helps maintain circulation to vital organs or en-hance blood delivery to skeletal muscles.
On the other hand, parasympathetic effects normally domi-nate the heart and the smooth muscle of digestive and urinary tract organs. These organs exhibit parasympathetic tone. The parasympathetic division slows the heart and dictates the nor-mal activity levels of the digestive and urinary tracts. However, the sympathetic division can override these parasympathetic effects during times of stress. Drugs that block parasympathetic responses increase heart rate and cause fecal and urinary reten-tion. Except for the adrenal glands and sweat glands of the skin, most glands are activated by parasympathetic fibers.
Cooperative Effects
The best example of cooperative ANS effects is seen in controls of the external genitalia. Parasympathetic stimulation causes vasodilation of blood vessels in the external genitalia and is re-sponsible for erection of the male penis or female clitoris during sexual excitement. (This may explain why sexual performance is sometimes impaired when people are anxious or upset and the sympathetic division is in charge.) Sympathetic stimulation
14
then causes ejaculation of semen by the penis or reflex contrac-tions of a female’s vagina.
H O M E O S TAT I C I M B A L A N C E
Autonomic neuropathy (damage to autonomic nerves) is a common complication of diabetes mellitus. One of the earliest and most troubling symptoms is sexual dysfunction, with up to 75% of male diabetics experiencing erectile dysfunction. Women, on the other hand, often experience reduced vaginal lubrica-tion. Other frequent manifestations of autonomic neuropathy
include dizziness after standing suddenly (poor blood pressure control), urinary incontinence, sluggish eye pupil reactions, and impaired sweating. Just how the elevated blood glucose levels in diabetics damage nerves is still a mystery.■
Unique Roles of the Sympathetic Division
The adrenal medulla, sweat glands and arrector pili muscles of the skin, the kidneys, and most blood vessels receive only sym-pathetic fibers. It is easy to remember that the symsym-pathetic sys-tem innervates these structures because most of us sweat under Effects of the Parasympathetic and Sympathetic Divisions on Various Organs
TARGET ORGAN OR SYSTEM PARASYMPATHETIC EFFECTS SYMPATHETIC EFFECTS
Eye (iris) Stimulates sphincter pupillae muscles; constricts pupils
Stimulates dilator pupillae muscles; dilates pupils
Eye (ciliary muscle) Stimulates muscle, which results in bulging of the lens for close vision
Weakly inhibits muscle, which results in flattening of the lens for far vision
Glands (nasal, lacrimal, gastric, pancreas)
Stimulates secretory activity Inhibits secretory activity; causes vasoconstriction of blood vessels supplying the glands
Salivary glands Stimulates secretion of watery saliva Stimulates secretion of thick, viscous saliva Sweat glands No effect (no innervation) Stimulates copious sweating (cholinergic fibers)
Adrenal medulla No effect (no innervation) Stimulates medulla cells to secrete epinephrine and norepinephrine
Arrector pili muscles attached to hair follicles
No effect (no innervation) Stimulates contraction (erects hairs and produces “goosebumps”)
Heart (muscle) Decreases rate; slows heart Increases rate and force of heartbeat Heart (coronary blood vessels) No effect (no innervation) Causes vasodilation*
Urinary bladder/urethra Causes contraction of smooth muscle of bladder wall; relaxes urethral sphincter; promotes voiding
Causes relaxation of smooth muscle of bladder wall; constricts urethral sphincter; inhibits voiding Lungs Constricts bronchioles Dilates bronchioles*
Digestive tract organs Increases motility (peristalsis) and amount of secre-tion by digestive organs; relaxes sphincters to allow movement of foodstuffs along tract
Decreases activity of glands and muscles of diges-tive system and constricts sphincters (e.g., anal sphincter)
Liver Increases glucose uptake from blood Stimulates release of glucose to blood* Gallbladder Excites (gallbladder contracts to expel bile) Inhibits (gallbladder is relaxed)
Kidney No effect (no innervation) Promotes renin release; causes vasoconstriction; decreases urine output
Penis Causes erection (vasodilation) Causes ejaculation Vagina/clitoris Causes erection (vasodilation) of clitoris; increases
vaginal lubrication
Causes contraction of vagina
Blood vessels Little or no effect Constricts most vessels and increases blood pres-sure; constricts vessels of abdominal viscera and skin to divert blood to muscles, brain, and heart when necessary; NE constricts most vessels; epi-nephrine dilates vessels of the skeletal muscles during exercise*
Blood coagulation No effect (no innervation) Increases coagulation* Cellular metabolism No effect (no innervation) Increases metabolic rate*
Adipose tissue No effect (no innervation) Stimulates lipolysis (fat breakdown)
*Effects are mediated by epinephrine release into the bloodstream from the adrenal medulla.
14 stress, our scalp “prickles” during fear, and our blood pressure
skyrockets (from widespread vasoconstriction) when we get ex-cited. We have already described how sympathetic control of blood vessels regulates blood pressure and shunting of blood in the vascular system. We will now consider several other uniquely sympathetic functions.
Thermoregulatory Responses to Heat The sympathetic divi-sion mediates reflexes that regulate body temperature. For ex-ample, applying heat to the skin causes reflexive dilation of blood vessels in that area. When systemic body temperature is elevated, sympathetic nerves cause the skin’s blood vessels to di-late, allowing the skin to become flushed with warm blood, and activate the sweat glands to help cool the body. When body tem-perature falls, skin blood vessels are constricted, and, as a result, blood is restricted to deeper, more vital organs.
Release of Renin from the Kidneys Sympathetic impulses stimulate the kidneys to release renin, a hormone that promotes an increase in blood pressure. We describe this renin-angiotensin mechanism in Chapter 25.
Metabolic Effects Through both direct neural stimulation and release of adrenal medullary hormones, the sympathetic di-vision promotes a number of metabolic effects not reversed by parasympathetic activity. It (1) increases the metabolic rate of body cells; (2) raises blood glucose levels; and (3) mobilizes fats for use as fuels. The medullary hormones also cause skeletal muscle to contract more strongly and quickly.
As a side effect, muscle spindles are stimulated more often and, consequently, nerve impulses traveling to the muscles oc-cur more synchronously. These neural bursts, which put muscle contractions on a “hair trigger,” are great if you have to make a quick jump or run, but they can be embarrassing or even dis-abling to the nervous musician or surgeon.
Localized Versus Diffuse Effects
In the parasympathetic division, one preganglionic neuron synapses with one (or at most a few) ganglionic neurons. Addi-tionally, all parasympathetic fibers release ACh, which is quickly destroyed (hydrolyzed) by acetylcholinesterase. Consequently, the parasympathetic division exerts short-lived, highly localized control over its effectors.
In contrast, preganglionic sympathetic axons branch pro-fusely as they enter the sympathetic trunk, and they synapse with ganglionic neurons at several levels. As a result, when the sympathetic division is activated, it responds in a diffuse and highly interconnected way. Indeed, the literal translation of sympathetic (sym = together; pathos = feeling) relates to the bodywide mobilization this division provokes. Nevertheless, parts of the sympathetic nervous system can be activated indi-vidually. For example, just because your eye pupils dilate in dim light doesn’t necessarily mean that your heart rate speeds up.
Effects produced by sympathetic activation are much longer-lasting than parasympathetic effects. In contrast to the parasympathetic system’s ACh, NE is inactivated more slowly because it must be taken back up into the presynaptic ending
before being hydrolyzed or stored. More importantly, NE and epinephrine are secreted into the blood by adrenal medullary cells when the sympathetic division is mobilized. Although epi-nephrine is more potent at increasing heart rate and raising blood glucose levels and metabolic rate, these hormones have essentially the same effects as NE released by sympathetic neu-rons. In fact, circulating adrenal medullary hormones produce 25–50% of all the sympathetic effects acting on the body at a given time. These effects continue for several minutes until the hormones are destroyed by the liver.
In short, sympathetic nerve impulses act only briefly, but the hormonal effects they provoke linger. The widespread and pro-longed effect of sympathetic activation helps explain why we need time to “come down” after an extremely stressful experience.
Control of Autonomic Functioning
Although the ANS is not usually considered to be under volun-tary control, its activity is regulated by CNS controls in the spinal cord, brain stem, hypothalamus, and cerebral cortex (Figure 14.9). In general, the hypothalamus is the integrative center at the top of the ANS control hierarchy. From there, or-ders flow to lower and lower CNS centers for execution. Al-though the cerebral cortex may modify the workings of the ANS, it does so at the subconscious level and by acting through limbic system structures on hypothalamic centers.
Cerebral cortex (frontal lobe) Limbic system (emotional input) Communication at subconscious level Hypothalamus Overall integration of ANS, the boss
Spinal cord
Urination, defecation, erection, and ejaculation
reflexes
Brain stem (reticular formation, etc.)
Regulation of pupil size, respiration, heart, blood pressure, swallowing, etc.
Figure 14.9 Levels of ANS control. The hypothalamus stands at the top of the control hierarchy as the integrator of ANS activity, but it is influenced by subconscious cerebral inputs via limbic system connections.
14
Brain Stem and Spinal Cord Controls
The hypothalamus is the “boss,” but the brain stem reticular for-mation appears to exert the most direct influence over auto-nomic functions (see Figure 12.16 on p. 448). For example, certain motor centers in the ventrolateral medulla (cardiac and
vasomotor centers) reflexively regulate heart rate and blood
ves-sel diameter. Other medullary regions oversee gastrointestinal activities. Most sensory impulses involved in eliciting these au-tonomic reflexes reach the brain stem via vagus nerve afferents. Although not considered part of the ANS, the medulla and pons also contain respiratory centers that mediate involuntary con-trol of respiration and receive inputs from the hypothalamus. Midbrain centers (oculomotor nuclei) control the muscles con-cerned with pupil diameter and lens focus.
Defecation and micturition reflexes that promote emptying of the rectum and urinary bladder are integrated at the spinal cord level but are subject to conscious inhibition. We will de-scribe all of these autonomic reflexes in later chapters in relation to the organ systems they serve.
Hypothalamic Controls
As we noted, the hypothalamus is the main integration center of the autonomic nervous system. In general, anterior hypo-thalamic regions direct parasympathetic functions, and poste-rior areas direct sympathetic functions. These centers exert their effects both directly and via relays through the reticular
formation, which in turn influences the preganglionic motor
neurons in the brain stem and spinal cord (Figure 14.9). The hypothalamus contains centers that coordinate heart activity, blood pressure, body temperature, water balance, and en-docrine activity. It also contains centers that mediate various emotional states (rage, pleasure) and biological drives (thirst, hunger, sex).
The hypothalamus also mediates our reactions to fear via its associations with the amygdala and the periaqueductal gray matter. Emotional responses of the limbic system of the cere-brum to danger and stress signal the hypothalamus to activate the sympathetic system to fight-or-flight status. In this way, the hypothalamus serves as the keystone of the emotional and vis-ceral brain, and through its centers emotions influence ANS functioning and behavior.
Cortical Controls
It was originally believed that the ANS is not subject to volun-tary controls. However, we have all had occasions when remem-bering a frightening event made our heart race (sympathetic response) or just the thought of a favorite food, pecan pie for example, made our mouth water (a parasympathetic response). These inputs converge on the hypothalamus through its con-nections to the limbic lobe.
Additionally, studies have shown that voluntary cortical con-trol of visceral activities is possible—a capability untapped by most people.
Influence of Biofeedback on Autonomic Function During biofeedback training, subjects are connected to monitoring
devices that provide an awareness of what is happening in their body. This awareness is called biofeedback. The devices detect and amplify changes in physiological processes such as heart rate and blood pressure, and these data are “fed back” in the form of flashing lights or audible tones. Subjects are asked to try to alter or control some “involuntary” function by concentrat-ing on calmconcentrat-ing, pleasant thoughts. The monitor allows them to identify changes in the desired direction, so they can recognize the feelings associated with these changes and learn to produce the changes at will.
Biofeedback techniques have been successful in helping indi-viduals plagued by migraine headaches. They are also used by cardiac patients to manage stress and reduce their risk of heart attack. However, biofeedback training is time-consuming and often frustrating, and the training equipment is expensive and difficult to use.
C H E C K Y O U R U N D E R S TA N D I N G
6. Name the division of the ANS that does each of the follow-ing: increases digestive activity; increases blood pressure; dilates bronchioles; decreases heart rate; stimulates the adrenal medulla to release its hormones; causes ejaculation. 7. Would you find nicotinic receptors on skeletal muscle?
Smooth muscle? Eccrine sweat glands? The adrenal medulla? CNS neurons?
8. Which part of the brain is the main integration center of the ANS? Which part exerts the most direct influence over auto-nomic functions?
For answers, see Appendix G.
Homeostatic Imbalances
of the ANS
Explain the relationship of some types of hypertension, Raynaud’s disease, and autonomic dysreflexia to disorders of autonomic functioning.
The ANS is involved in nearly every important process that goes on in the body, so it is not surprising that abnormalities of autonomic functioning can have far-reaching effects and threaten life itself. Most autonomic disorders reflect exagger-ated or deficient controls of smooth muscle activity. Of these, the most devastating involve blood vessels and include condi-tions such as hypertension, Raynaud’s disease, and autonomic dysreflexia.
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, may result from an
overactive sympathetic vasoconstrictor response promoted by continuous high levels of stress. Hypertension is always serious because it increases the workload on the heart, which may pre-cipitate heart disease, and increases the wear and tear on artery walls. Stress-induced hypertension can be treated with adrener-gic receptor–blocking drugs.
Raynaud’s disease is characterized by intermittent attacks
14 cyanotic and painful. Commonly provoked by exposure to
cold or emotional stress, it is an exaggerated vasoconstriction response. The severity of this disease ranges from merely un-comfortable to such severe blood vessel constriction that is-chemia and gangrene (tissue death) results. Vasodilators (for example, adrenergic blockers) usually suffice, but to treat very severe cases, preganglionic sympathetic fibers serving the af-fected regions are severed (a procedure called sympathectomy). The involved vessels then dilate, reestablishing adequate blood delivery to the region.
Autonomic dysreflexia is a life-threatening condition
involv-ing uncontrolled activation of autonomic neurons. It occurs in a majority of individuals with quadriplegia and in others with spinal cord injuries above the T6level, usually in the first year after injury. The usual trigger is a painful stimulus to the skin or overfilling of a visceral organ, such as the urinary bladder. Arterial blood pressure skyrockets to life-threatening levels, which may rupture a blood vessel in the brain, precipitating stroke. This may be accompanied by a headache, flushed face, sweating above the level of the injury, and cold, clammy skin below. The precise mechanism of autonomic dysreflexia is not yet clear.
C H E C K Y O U R U N D E R S TA N D I N G
9. Jackson works long, stress-filled shifts as an air traffic controller at a busy airport. His doctor has prescribed a beta-blocker. Why might his doctor have done this? What does a beta-blocker do?
For answers, see Appendix G.
Developmental Aspects
of the ANS
Describe some effects of aging on the autonomic nervous system.
ANS preganglionic neurons derive from the embryonic neural
tube, as do somatic motor neurons. ANS structures in the
PNS—ganglionic neurons, the adrenal medulla, and all auto-nomic ganglia—derive from the neural crest (along with all
sensory neurons) (see Figure 12.1, ). Neural crest cells reach their ultimate destinations by migrating along growing axons. Forming ganglia receive axons from preganglionic neurons in the spinal cord or brain and send their axons to synapse with their effector cells in the body periphery. This process depends upon the presence of nerve growth factor, and is guided by a number of signaling chemicals similar to those acting in the CNS.
During youth, impairments of ANS function are usually due to injuries to the spinal cord or autonomic nerves. In old age the efficiency of the ANS begins to decline. At least part of the prob-lem appears to be due to structural changes (bloating) of some preganglionic axon terminals, which become congested with neurofilaments.
Many elderly people complain of constipation (a result of re-duced gastrointestinal tract motility), and of dry eyes and fre-quent eye infections (both a result of a diminished ability to form tears). Additionally, when they stand up they may have fainting episodes due to orthostatic hypotension (ortho = straight; stat = standing), a form of low blood pressure that oc-curs because the aging pressure receptors respond less to changes in blood pressure following changes in position, and because of slowed responses by aging sympathetic vasoconstrictor centers. These problems are distressing, but not usually life threatening, and most can be managed by lifestyle changes or artificial aids. For example, changing position slowly gives the sympathetic nervous system time to adjust the blood pressure, and eye drops (artificial tears) are available for the dry-eye problem.
C H E C K Y O U R U N D E R S TA N D I N G
10. Which embryonic structure gives rise to both the autonomic ganglia and the adrenal medulla?
For answers, see Appendix G.
In this chapter, we have described the structure and function of the ANS, one arm of the motor division of the peripheral nervous system. Because virtually every organ system still to be considered depends on autonomic controls, you will be hearing more about the ANS in chapters that follow. Now that we have explored most of the nervous system, this is a good time to ex-amine how it interacts with the rest of the body as summarized in the Making Connections feature, pp. 542–543.
14
542
Homeostatic Interrelationships Between the Nervous
System and Other Body Systems
Integumentary System
■ Sympathetic division of the ANS regulates sweat glands and
blood vessels of skin (therefore heat loss/retention)
■ Skin serves as heat loss surface
Skeletal System
■ Nerves innervate bones and joints, providing for pain and joint
sense
■ Bones serve as depot for calcium needed for neural function;
skeletal system protects CNS structures Muscular System
■ Somatic division of nervous system activates skeletal muscles;
maintains muscle health
■ Skeletal muscles are the effectors of the somatic division
Endocrine System
■ Sympathetic division of the ANS activates the adrenal medulla;
hypothalamus helps regulate the activity of the anterior pituitary gland and produces the two posterior pituitary hormones
■ Hormones influence neuronal metabolism
Cardiovascular System
■ ANS helps regulate heart rate and blood pressure
■ Cardiovascular system provides blood containing oxygen and
nutrients to the nervous system and carries away wastes Lymphatic System/Immunity
■ Nerves innervate lymphoid organs; the brain plays a role in
reg-ulating immune function
■ Lymphatic vessels carry away leaked tissue fluids from tissues
surrounding nervous system structures; immune elements pro-tect all body organs from pathogens (CNS has additional mechanisms as well)
Respiratory System
■ Nervous system initiates and regulates respiratory rhythm and
depth
■ Respiratory system provides life-sustaining oxygen; disposes of
carbon dioxide Digestive System
■ ANS (particularly the parasympathetic division) regulates
diges-tive motility and glandular activity
■ Digestive system provides nutrients needed for neuronal health
Urinary System
■ ANS regulates bladder emptying and renal blood pressure ■ Kidneys help to dispose of metabolic wastes and maintain
proper electrolyte composition and pH of blood for neural func-tioning
Reproductive System
■ ANS regulates sexual erection and ejaculation in males;
erec-tion of the clitoris in females
■ Testosterone causes masculinization of the brain and underlies
sex drive and aggressive behavior