Physiology of the

Autonomic Nervous System

I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. Confucius

Organization of the Nervous System
Has 2 big divisions:
1. Central Nervous System
The brain + the spinal cord
The center of integration
and control
2. Peripheral Nervous System
The nervous system outside
of the brain & spinal cord
Consists of:
- 12 Cranial nerves
- 31 Spinal nerves
Carry info to & from the
spinal cord 2
Organization of NS, contd
PNS can be divided further into:
Somatic nervous system (SNS)
VOLUNTARY (generally)
Somatic nerve fibers that conduct impulses from
the CNS to skeletal muscles.
Autonomic nervous system (ANS)
INVOLUNTARY (generally)
Conducts impulses from the CNS to smooth
muscle, cardiac muscle & glands.

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Organization of NS, contd

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 Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
ANS is generally considered to be entirely motor.
All its axons are motor fibers, which transmit impulses from
the CNS to visceral effectors & regulate visceral activities,
usually involuntarily & automatically.
Visceral effectors regulated by the ANS are cardiac muscles,
smooth muscles, and glands.
Impulses that arise from the receptors in the viscera travel
along the sensory neurons of spinal cord or cranial nerves to
the lower portions of the brain.
The sensory impulses are delivered to various autonomic
centers & the returning motor impulse controls activities of
visceral effectors without conscious recognition.
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 Division of the ANS
Motor output of the ANS
divided into two:
Sympathetic NS
Fight or Flight
reaction. (It is activated
in emergencies, in the
sense that the body can
either quickly flee or
take a stand).
Parasympathetic NS
Rest & Digest
Often there is dual innervation. 6
Figure. The division of ANS. 7
ANS, contd
In general, impulses from one division stimulate the organ
( organ activity), whereas impulses from the other division
inhibit the organ ( organ activity).
Many of the organs innervated by the ANS receive visceral
motor fibers from both divisions.
Organs that receive impulses from both SyNS & PaNS are
said to have dual intervention.
However, there are certain structures which are not receiving
dual innervation, including:
sweat glands
adrenal medulla
skeletal muscle blood vessels
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Effect of autonomic innervation

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 Comparison of Somatic NS vs ANS
Somatic NS Autonomic NS
1. Controls contraction of 1. Controls involuntary activities
skeletal muscle. e.g. CVS, GIT & sweat glands.
2. Nerve fibres are 2. Nerve fibres are originated
originated from the from the lateral horn of the GM
anterior horn of the GM
of the spinal cord (SC).
of the spinal cord (SC).
3. The motor nerve contains 3. Autonomic motor fibres
single, long, thick, and contain two neurons.
myelinated neuron. 4. There are both cholinergic &
4. The NT is always Ach & adrenergic fibres acting on
the receptor is always cholinergic & adrenergic
nicotinic receptor (NR). receptors.
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Figure. The Comparison Between Somatic NS & ANS. 11
 Sympathetic Division
The sympathetic division is often called the
fight-or-flight division.
The axons of sympathetic preganglionic neurons
are referred to as thoracolumbar outflow.
The sympathetic fibers originate from
thoracolumbar region of the spinal cord (T1-T12
& L1-L2).

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Sympathetic division, contd
Sympathetic activities result in increase alertness &
metabolic activities in order to prepare the body for an
emergency situation.
Responses to such situations, which may occur during
physical activity or emotional stress, include:
a rapid HR, faster breathing rate, dilation of pupils, dry
mouth, sweaty but cool skin,
dilation of blood vessels to the organs involved in
combating stress (heart & skeletal muscles),
constriction of blood vessels to the organs not involved in
combating stress (e.g., GI tract & kidneys), and
release of glucose from the liver.
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Components of the Sympathetic Neurons
Generally stimulates the effector organ (except in GIT).
Cell bodies of the preganglionic motor neurons are located in
the thoracic & lumbar part of spinal cord.
Preganglionic axons synapse in the lateral/collateral ganglia,
which are located near to the spinal cord far away from organs
being innervated.
Has short preganglionic & long postganglionic fibers
Postganglionic fibers run from the ganglia (lateral/collateral) to
the organs that they supply.
The postganglionic fibers are distributed throughout the body.

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Sympathetic division

Function of SyNS:
Sympathetic - largely fight or flight response.
Works with adrenal medulla epinephrine.
Increases MR.
Increases cardiac output (CO) during exercise & excitements.
Generally excitatory to almost all body parts except in the GIT.
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 Parasympathetic Division
The axons of parasympathetic preganglionic neurons
are referred to as craniosacral outflow.
Originates from cranial & sacral regions.
Cranial components are part of CN III, VII, IX, and X,
(oculomotor, facial, glossopharyngeal, and vagus)
respectively.
Sacral components are from S2-S4 segments of the
spinal cord (SC).

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Components of the Parasympathetic Neurons
Generally inhibits the effector organ (except in GIT).
Cell bodies of preganglionic neurons located in the parts of
certain nuclei of cranial nerves & in sacral part of the SC.
Preganglionic axons synapse in the terminal ganglia which
are near to the effector organs.
Have long preganglionic & short postganglionic fibers.
All pre- & post-ganglionic fibers of the PaNS produce Ach
& they are cholinergic.
Postganglionic axons travel from the terminal ganglia to the
target organs.
Postganglionic fibers are limited to the head, and viscera of
the chest, abdomen, and pelvis.
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 Function of the PaSN
Regulation of digestion, defecation, and micturition.
Conservation of energy, anabolic, maintains a homeostatic
environment resting & digesting system.
No mass discharge, discrete activities.
There is tonic impulse discharge to the heart.
Strong vagal stimulation leads to cardiac arrest.
Parasympathetic neurons in general have inhibitory effect
on almost all body tissues (except in the GIT).
They have excitatory effect on the GIT.

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Neuronal Organizations of the ANS

Thoraco ACh-M
ACh-N
lumbar
Sweat glands
Blood vessels in skeletal muscle
Properties of pre- & post-ganglionic neurons
All preganglionic neurons are cholinergic neurons.
They secrete acetylcholine & are excitatory.
Sympathetic postganglionic neurons are adrenergic.
They secrete norepinephrine (NE) & are either excitatory or
inhibitory.
Parasympathetic postganglionic fibers are cholinergic.
They secrete acetylcholine & are either excitatory or
inhibitory.

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 Neurotransmitters of ANS
Based on the neurotransmitters (NT) they produce and
release, autonomic neurons are classified as either
cholinergic or adrenergic neurons.
The receptors for NT are integral membrane proteins located
in the plasma membrane of the postsynaptic neurons or the
effector cells.
Two types of neurotransmitters are used in the ANS:
Acetylcholine (Ach)
Norepinephrine (NE)

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Neurotransmitters, contd
Neurotransmitters are released by the pre-synaptic cell.
Bind to the specific receptors in the postsynaptic cell membrane.
Binding has either an excitatory or an inhibitory effect on the
effectors, depending on specific receptor.
Both preganglionic & postganglionic neurons in parasympathetic
division release Ach & thus, they are called cholinergic fibers.
Preganglionic neurons & a few postganglionic neurons in the
sympathetic division are also cholinergic.
Most of the postganglionic fibers of sympathetic division release
NE & are called adrenergic fibers (exceptions: sweat glands &
blood vessels in the skeletal muscle).

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 Receptors of the ANS
Cholinergic receptors:
There are two principal receptors for Ach:
a. Nicotinic receptors
b. Muscarinic receptors
Acetylcholine activates both receptors.
o Muscarinic receptors are found on all effector cells
stimulated by postganglionic cholinergic neurons of both
PaSN & SyNS.
o Nicotinic receptors are found b/n pre- and post-ganglionic
neurons (ganglia) of both PaNS & SyNS. Also receptors in
NMJ are nicotonic.
Adrenergic receptors:
a. Alpha receptors: - subtypes include alpha1 & alpha2
b. Beta receptors: - subtypes include beta1 & beta2
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NT & Receptors, contd

Figure. SyNS

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NT & Receptors, contd

Figure. PaNS
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 Autonomic reflexes
A reflex is a fast & involuntary action in response to a stimulus.
A reflex action consists of an action that is signalled to the CNS
& a reaction ordered by the CNS.
Any reflex is transmitted through a reflex arc.
A reflex arc of any reflex has 5-components:
1) A receptor that detects changes
2) Afferent (sensory) pathway
3) Integrating centre (spinal cord, brain stem, HT, cerebral cortex)
4) Efferent (motor) pathway
5) Effectors organs (cardiac muscle, smooth muscles & glands)

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Autonomic reflexes, contd
ANS helps to maintain homeostasis through involuntary
activity of the autonomic (visceral) reflexes.
Consist of smooth & cardiac muscle contractions or secretion
by the glands that are mediated by the autonomic reflex arcs
in response to a specific stimulus.
Examples:
Micturition reflex: which partly controls the release of urine.
Baroreceptor reflex: alteration of the heart rate.
Chemoreceptor reflex: changes in respiratory rate & depth.
Defecation reflex: regulation of the digestive system activities.

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