Exam 4 - ANS and Hormones Flashcards
(89 cards)
Autonomic Nervous System
Part of the motor division of the peripheral nervous system responsible for involuntary (autonomic) responses and for maintaining internal homeostasis
Target Tissues of the ANS
The ANS is the efferent (outflowing) innervation of tissues other than skeletal muscle (visceral nervous system), influencing every organ in the body. The target tissues include cardiac muscle (heart rate), smooth muscle (circulatory system, arteries, blood pressure, blood flow), adipocytes, and glands (endocrine and exocrine glands).
Visceral motor neurons of the ANS
- Two neurons: Presynaptic/ preganglionic and postsynaptic/ postganglionic
- 1st neuron has its cell body in the grey matter of the CNS and travels to a ganglion where it synapses with the 2nd neuron
- 2nd neuron travels to target tissue
- 1st neuron is myelinated, 2nd is not
- This pathway can create either an inhibitory or excitatory response
- Dual innervation occurs
Ganglion
Bundle of cell bodies in the peripheral nervous system
Dual innervation
- The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems regulate the same tissues
- Not all organs or target tissues are innervated by both sides of the ANS (i.e., adrenal gland and glucose stimulation only from sympathetic division)
Enteric division
Division of the ANS: Gut nervous system (GI tract)
iNANC division
Division of the ANS: Respiratory nervous system
Sympathetic division of the ANS
Responsible for “fight or flight”
Parasympathetic division of the ANS
Responsible for “rest or digest” and “feed and breed”
Sympathetic division organization
- Preganglionic neurons: All originate in grey matter of the spinal cord (T1-L2), travel out of the spinal cord via the ventral root and will synapse with a postganglionic neuron in 1 of 3 places
- Postganglionic neurons: Originate in 1 of 3 places: Sympathetic chain, collateral ganglia, adrenal
Sympathetic chain
- Where most of the synapses occur and where the majority of postsynaptic fibers originate
- Directly adjacent to the spinal cord on both sides
- Composed of interconnected ganglia
- Cell body is here and then they will travel to target tissue
- If this is the case, the pre-neuron is short and the post-neuron is long in order to travel the length of the spinal cord to target tissue
Collateral ganglia
- Located anterior to the spinal cord in the abdominal region (close to target organs of the stomach, intestines, pancreas, liver, kidney)
- Three types of ganglia (celiac, superior mesenteric, inferior mesenteric)
- If this is the case, the axons of the pre will physically pass through the sympathetic chain, nit not synapse with any of the neurons there… instead the axon continues into 1 of 3 collateral ganglia where it synapses with a post
Adrenal
- Special pathway creating a coordinated response between the nervous system and the endocrine system
- The pre synapses with the post within the adrenal gland
- Pre is very long (has to reach the adrenal gland (kidneys)) and it reaches the medulla and synapses with post
- Chromaffin cells are special, modified postganglionic cells that form an endocrine gland (receive the nervous system innervation and respond by secreting epinephrine (80%) and norepinephrine (20%) into the blood stream)
Epinephrine
Neurotransmitter secreted by the adrenal medulla in response to stress. Also known as adrenaline. Mainly impacts heart
Norepinephrine
Neurotransmitter secreted by the adrenal medulla in response to stress. Mainly impacts blood vessels
Three pathways within the sympathetic division
1.) Sympathetic chain: Most common, a short preganglionic cell synapses with a postganglionic within the sympathetic chain
2.) Collateral ganglia: In the abdominal region (closer to target organs), longer pre and shorter post
3.) Adrenal: Specialized, very long pre synapses with a chromaffin cell in the adrenal medulla that can create a neuroendocrine coordinated response
Parasympathetic division organization
- Two regions on parasympathetic outflow that sandwich the region of sympathetic outflow
1.) Cranial outflow: From the brainstem
2.) From the sacral region of the spinal cord - In either pathway, the preganglionic neurons have very long and myelinated (transmit the signal quickly over a long space) axons and the postganglionic neurons are very short and typically unmyelinated (close to target)
Cranial outflow
- Preganglion passes from the brainstem through 1 of 4 cranial nerves (all of which have motor function)
- III Oculomotor
- VII Facial
- IX Glossopharyngeal
- X Vagus
Spinal cord outflow
- Outflow around the S2-S4 sacral region
- Terminal ganglia: Ganglia between pre and post ganglionic neurons
Functional classification of neurons
Preganglionic/ postganglionic
Neurotransmitter release classification of neurons
- Cholinergic: Acetylcholine; all preganglionic cells (para and symp), all postganglionic neurons of the parasympathetic nervous system ( short ones)
- Adrenergic: Epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine; all postganglionic neurons of the parasympathetic nervous system (including chromaffin)
How do messages that originate in the CNS reach their target tissues
- ANS regulates tissues by releasing neurotransmitters (synaptic transmission is chemical)
- 2 different neurotransmitters for each pathway; one in between pre and post synaptic neurons and one in between post synaptic and target organ (effector)
Acetylcholine (cholinergic receptors)
- Two types:
1. Nicotinic (ionotropic)
2. Muscarinic (metabotropic)
If the fight or flight response mostly used a single hormone (epinephrine) to communicate a mass discharge throughout the whole body, how can opposite effects be produced? (i.e., vasoconstriction occurs to the GI tract while vasodilation occurs to the airway and skeletal muscles)
In order to produce opposite responses at each location of smooth muscle, we need different receptors (one neurotransmitter can bind to different receptors at different target tissues)