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The parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) is one of the three divisions of the autonomic nervous system, the others being the sympathetic nervous system and the enteric nervous system. [1] [2] The autonomic nervous system is responsible for regulating the body's unconscious actions.
The autonomic nervous system has been classically divided into the sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system only (i.e., exclusively motor). The sympathetic division emerges from the spinal cord in the thoracic and lumbar areas, terminating around L2-3.
The division of the autonomic nervous system into sympathetic and parasympathetic pathways is particularly useful from a medical treatment perspective [source]. Jänig et al. warn that changing the classifications of the systems could result in confusion on how to treat some disease, particularly those of the gut and stomach region. [9]
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Parasympathetic ganglia are the autonomic ganglia of the parasympathetic nervous system. Most are small terminal ganglia or intramural ganglia, so named because they lie near or within (respectively) the organs they innervate. The exceptions are the four paired parasympathetic ganglia of the head and neck.
The autonomic nervous system functions to regulate the body's unconscious actions. The sympathetic nervous system's primary process is to stimulate the body's fight or flight response. It is, however, constantly active at a basic level to maintain homeostasis. [4] The sympathetic nervous system is described as being antagonistic to the ...
Another major difference between the two ANS (autonomic nervous systems) is divergence. Whereas in the parasympathetic division there is a divergence factor of roughly 1:4, in the sympathetic division there can be a divergence of up to 1:20. This is due to the number of synapses formed by the preganglionic fibers with ganglionic neurons.
The PNS includes motor neurons, mediating voluntary movement; the autonomic nervous system, comprising the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system and regulating involuntary functions; and the enteric nervous system, a semi-independent part of the nervous system whose function is to control the gastrointestinal system.