Autonomic Nervous System

Question 1

What does the somatic motor division control?

Answer 1

Voluntary Body Movement

Question 2

What does the autonomic division control?

Answer 2

Automatic functions of internal organs (heart rate, digestion, etc)

Question 3

What are the three systems within the autonomic nervous system?

Answer 3

sympathetic - fight or flight
parasympathetic - rest and digest
enteric system - digestion & gastrointestinal

Question 4

What part of the spine do the different nervous divisions stem from?

Answer 4

Parasympathetic- Cranial & Sacral
Synpathetic - Thoracic & Lumbar

Question 5

What is autonomic tone?

Answer 5

General activity rate of the nervous system

Question 6

What is a pre-ganglionic neurons?

Answer 6

A neuron that runs from the CNS to a ganglion (always mylenated)

Question 7

What is a post-ganglionic neuron?

Answer 7

A neuron that runs from cell bodies to the autonomic ganglia

Question 8

What are the ganglia that run together alongside the vertebral column?

Answer 8

Sympathetic Chain Ganglia

Question 9

What ganglia innervate the abdomino-pelvic organs?

Answer 9

Collateral Ganglia

Question 10

What is the Vagus nerve?

Answer 10

CNX (cranial nerve ten) - carries a signal to thoracic and abdominal regions in parasympathetic nervous system

Question 11

What are three target tissues for the autonomic nervous system?

Answer 11

Cardiac Muscle (heart), Smooth Muscle (stomach, etc), Glands

Question 12

How is the white ramus communicans different from the grey ramus communicans?

Answer 12

white is the “off-ramp”, carries mylenated pre-ganglions to the synpathetic chain; the ganglion is the destination; the grey is the on-ramp that carries post-ganglionics to the spinal nerve

Question 13

Where is the origin point for the autonomic nervous system?

Answer 13

Hypothalamus or brain stem

Question 14

Where is the origin point for the somatic nervous system?

Answer 14

The Primary Motor Cortex in the Frontal Lobe

Question 15

How many neurons from CNS to target tissue in the somatic vs autonomic nervous systems?

Answer 15

Somatic - one
Autonomic - two

Question 16

What are the axon lengths for the **sympathetic*+ nervous system

Answer 16

Short pre-ganglionic, long post-ganglionic

Question 17

What are the axon lengths for the parasympathetic nervous system?

Answer 17

Long pre-ganglionic and short post-ganglionic

Question 18

What are the ganglia associated with the sympathetic nervous system?

Answer 18

Sympathetic Chain & Collateral Ganglia

Question 19

What kind of ganglia are associated with the parasympathetic nervous system?

Answer 19

Terminal gangli

Question 20

What neurotransmitters does the sympathetic nervous system use?

Answer 20

Norepinephrine OR Acetylcholine. Others use only Acetylcholine

Question 21

Cholinergic Neurons

Answer 21

Use ACh in somatic, parasympathetic, and pre-ganglionic axons

Question 22

Nicotinic Receptors

Answer 22

Respond to ACh and are linked to the ion channel. They are always excitatory

Question 23

Muscarinic Receptors

Answer 23

Respond to ACh and are linked to internal cell signaling proteins

Question 24

Adrenergic Neurons

Answer 24

HAVE TO BE sympathetic they use norepinephrine

Question 25

What are the post-ganglionic sympathetic neurons?

Answer 25

-Alpha 1 - causes smooth muscles to contract

• Alpha 2 - Inhibits the release of NE
• Beta 1 - Increases heart rate
• Beta 2 - Relaxes smooth muscle (opens airways for example)
• Beta 3 - induces breakdown of fat to release energy