Autonomic Nervous System

The Nervous System

 CNS
 Peripheral NS
 Autonomic ns
 Sympathetic
 Parasympathetic
 Somatic ns – skeletal n. s.
Autonomic Nervous System
 aka visceral, vegetative, or
involuntary
 Provide innervation to the heart,
blood vessels, glands, and other
visceral organs and smooth muscles
 Regulates :
 Breathing, digestion, body temperature,
metabolism, secretion of certain
endocrine and exocrine glands
 “The constancy of the internal
environment of the organism is to a
large extent controlled by the ANS..”

by Claude Bernard (1878-79), Canon (1929-32)

Autonomic vs Somatic
 Autonomic  Somatic
 Supply all innervated  Innervates the
structures of the body skeletal m
except the skeletal m  Originates in the
 With interruption in CNS, and extends
the nerve pathways directly to skeletal m
 Synapses entirely out without synapse/
of cerebrospinal axis interruption
 Unmyelinated  Motor nerves are
 When myelinated
interrupted/injured,  When nerves are
shows some level of injured, skeletal ms
spontaneous activity completely paralyzes
independent of intact and undergo atrophy
innervation
 Autonomic  Somatic
 neurotransmitter  Neurotransmitter:
(major) :  Acetylcholine
 Epinephrine
 Norepinephrine
 acetylcholine
Anatomy of ANS
1. Efferent Neurons
• Preganglionic – within CNS’
• Post ganglionic – terminates at effector
organs
• Ganglia – relay stations

Pre’g  ganglion  post’g

2. Afferent neurons
• Impt in reflex regulation of the system

3. Sympathetic neurons
• Comes from thoracic and lumbar regions of the
spinal cord
4. Parasympathetic neurons
• Arise from cranial and sacral areas of the spinal
cord and synapse near or on effector organs
Sympathetic vs Parasympathetic
Functions Sympathetic Parasympathetic
HR Inc Dec
BP Inc Dec
Pupils Dilatation Constriction
bronchioles Dilation Constriction
•Tends to fxn as a •Never
unit and often discharges as a
discharges as a complete system
complete system
- activated
•Not essential to
separately
life
•Required for life
Role of CNS in ANS
 Feedback from autonomic innervated
structures  afferent fibers
 CNS (brain/ stem)
hypothalamus, medulla, spinal
cord
 efferent fibers (reflex impulses)
 Reflex arcs – eg baroreceptor reflex
 Emotions and ANS
 Rage, fear, pleasure
Innervations
 Dual innervations
 Most organs are innervated by both sympathetic
and parasympathetic fibers
 One will dominate the other (heart:
parasympathetic)
 Organs receiving only sympathetic
innervations
 Adrenal medulla, kidneys, pilomotor ms, sweat
glands,
 Control of BP ( no parasympathetic stimulation)
Chemical Aspects in ANS
 Local mediators –
 act on immediate env
 Rapidly destroyed or removed/ do not enter the
bloodstream
 Eg: histamines , prostaglandins
 Hormones
 Travel in the bloodstream
 Neurotransmitters
 Each neuron is not connected to another neuron
 Communication occurs through the release of
chemical signals, called neurotransmitters from
nerve terminals
n1 n2
N’t R

N’t R

Ach
E, NE α, β, D, μ, N
 neurotransmitters
 Membrane receptors
 N’t bind to receptors (mostly protein) on cell
membrane (* need not be on the membrane)
 Types of neurotransmitters
 Over 50 chem transmitters identified
 Most commonly involved in drug action is: Ach,
NE (+ E), D, S, H, γ-amino butyric acid (GABA)
 Acetylcholine – “cholinergic”
 For all systems, para and sympa, soma
 NE and E
 “adrenergic” – adrenaline is aka for epinephrine
 Sympathetic – mediates impulses from
postganglionic n’s to effector organs
 Synthesis and storage
 Ach – synthesized by choline transferase
 Acetyl CoA + choline
 NE = tyrosine  DOPA dopamine  NE
 Termination of action
 Ach: by acetyl cholinesterases (in the
synapse)
 Catecholamines
 By diffusion and reuptake (not excreted)
 By MAO and COMT (excreted)
Second messengers
 n’t  receptor  2nd msgr  effect
 effector organ

 Molecules produced in the cell in response

to n’t binding to receptor
 In chemically gated ion channels  directly
affects ion permeability
 Initiates a series of responses
 Eg adenylyl cyclase system; ca-
phosphotidylinositol system
Receptors
 Cholinoceptors
 Muscarinic receptors
 Nicotinic r
 Adrenoceptors
 Alpha
 Beta
 Dopamine
Cholinoceptors
 Muscarinic
 Respond to muscarine (an alkalloid) and
acetylcholine
 Response resemble post’g parasympathetic
stimulation
 M receptors located at autonomic cells (heart,
vacular endothelium, smooth m, presynaptic
nerve terminals, exocrine glands)
 Nicotinic
 Respond to Ach and nicotine, and those
mimicking aCh
 Located in the ganglia and in skeletal m end
plates
Adrenoceptors
 Alpha
 Located on vascular smooth m, presynaptic nerve
terminals, blood platelets, fat cells, neurons in the
brain
 2 major subtypes:
 Alpha 1-
 Alpha 2
 Beta
 Located: smooth m, cardiac m, some presynaptic
nerve terminals, lipocytes, brain
 3 major subtypes:
 Beta1
 Beta2
 Beta3
Steps in neurohumoral
transmission
 Junctional transmission:
1. Release of transmitter
2. Transmitter combines with
postjunctional receptors and
postjunctional potential is produced
3. Initiation of postjunctional activity
4. Destruction or dissipation of the
transmitter
5. Nonelectrogenic functions
Drugs can alter (enhance or prevent)
the responses of ANS by altering the
events associated with
neurotransmitter action.
Autonomic NS Drugs
ANS

Adrenergic Cholinergic
- Agonists - agonists
- Blockers - antagonist
- cholinesterase
inhibitor