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Introduction to Pharmacology & Physiology covering the following topics:
1) Autonomic Nervous System
2) Cardiac Cycle, Control and the EGG
3) Cardiovascular System
4) Central Nervous System and Peripheral Nervo...
Intro to Pharmacology Lecture
Topic - Autonomic Nervous System
Introduction
1) The autonomic nervous system (ANS)
2) Comparison of ANS vs the sensory
3) Divisions of ANS
a) Sympathetic
b) Parasympathetic
4) Visceral Reflexes
Looking at the organisations of the nervous system (NS), what is it all about? What is it enabling
animals, plants or even humans to do?
a) Communication
i) What do we need to communicate about?
1) Reaction to stimuli/stimulus: we need something to receive a signal (think
of the withdrawal reflex of touching something very hot).
(a) Withdrawal monosynaptic?
(i) Yes, sensory/motor put hand away
(1) What makes me realise it was hot?
a. White matter/ascending pathways
i. What is linked to this?
1. Interneurons
Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
The figure on the slides showed both the ANS and SNS (both sensory neurons) depicting how
the ANS deals with mostly the Internal environment whereas the SNS focuses on the external
environment, both comprise the central nervous system (CNS).
The autonomic is still looking at sensory information but this time it’s about maintaining the
body/internal processes, it’s a balancing act. Looking at ANHS which regulates:
a) Muscles
b) In the skin
i) Think of piloerection, hairs standing up.
1) Piloerection is linked to emotion, memory, central areas of the brain that
link with the nervous system.
(a) Think of the stimuli it's not always about that automatic response
due to an environmental change
c) Around blood
, i) Maintaining vascular tone, changing in sodium concentration monitored amongst
other things etc.
d) In the eye
i) Reflexes and reactions, bright lights (pupil restrction)
e) In the stomach
f) Of the heart (cardiac muscle)
g) Glands
i) Remember the glands, the release of hormones and chemical messengers.
The ANS is regulated by the hypothalamus & medulla. It functions in an involuntary, reflexive
manner. They interplay with the limbic system. The ANS is a balancing act between rest,
digestion, relaxation etc. At times even fight or flight. The balancer between sympathetic and
parasympathetic (para slows things down [think of parachute, slowing things down]).
● The state of the body at any given time represents a balance between these two
systems.
○ Finely tuned balance.
Comparison
Sympathetic sensory is voluntary, we choose if we are going to move, blink etc. That doesn’t
rule out reflex arcs as a response, the effector organs are the skeletal muscles (somatic
nervous system) alongside one efferent neuron.
ANS is involuntary, with the following effector organs: smooth muscle, cardiac muscle and
glands. Two efferent neurons and ganglia, non-conscious control required (hypothalamus,
medulla).
Taking this comparison deeper, the number of neurons involved and system organisation, the
left hand picture depicts a single neuron (in terms of) coming away from the SNS. You have
your motor neuron moving out the nervous system. There are really simple differences between
the two pathways (mentioned above) which can make diagrams easier to read amongst other
advantages. The location of cell bodies is important based on the pathway, also what they don’t
want to affect. There is non ganglia involved, the only ganglia involved are in the Somatic
nervous system not the Autonomic nervous system (ANS). Pre & Post ganglionic, the distance
of the ganglia’s change distance (from the nervous system and effector organ).
Neurotransmitters in the Peripheral Nervous System:
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