Autonomic nervous system

• What is the autonomic nervous system responsible for?

  Regulating internal organ functions
• What does the autonomic nervous system control?

  Smooth and cardiac muscles, and glands
• How does the autonomic nervous system affect the body?

  It makes involuntary adjustments
• What are the two divisions of the autonomic nervous system?

  Sympathetic and parasympathetic systems
• What does the sympathetic nervous system do?

  Prepares the body for activity
• What is the role of the parasympathetic nervous system?

  Resting and digesting
• What does the sympathetic system trigger?

  Fight or flight response
• Where do sympathetic nerve fibers originate?

  Thoracic and lumbar vertebrae
• Why are sympathetic ganglia located close to the spinal cord?

  To send signals quickly to many organs
• What does craniosacral refer to in the parasympathetic system?

  Nerves sprouting from brain and sacral cord
• Where are most parasympathetic ganglia located?

  Near or inside effector organs
• What is the function of ganglia in the autonomic system?

  House clusters of neuron cell bodies
• How do sympathetic and parasympathetic ganglia differ in location?

  Sympathetic ganglia are near the spine
• What are preganglionic and postganglionic fibers?

  Fibers before and after ganglia
• How do the lengths of preganglionic fibers differ between systems?

  Sympathetic fibers are shorter than parasympathetic
• Why are sympathetic preganglionic fibers shorter?

  They originate close to the spinal cord
• Why are parasympathetic preganglionic fibers longer?

  They extend to effector organs
• How does the structure of the sympathetic system relate to its function?

  It triggers widespread responses quickly
• What does the parasympathetic system manage during relaxation?

  Specific functions like digestion
• What are the main components of the autonomic nervous system?

  • Sympathetic nervous system
  • Parasympathetic nervous system
• What are the three main anatomical differences between the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems?

  1. Origin of nerve fibers
  2. Location of ganglia
  3. Structure of nerve fibers