Autonomic Nervous System Essay

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Regulation of Autonomic Nervous System Activity

Introduction

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is largely regulated by autonomic reflexes and many of these reflexes; sensory information is transmitted to the hypothalamus and brainstem which are considered the control centers of our bodies (McCorry, 2006). Many of us have come to know the ANS as the involuntary nervous system. The ANS innervates cardiac muscle, smooth muscle, endocrine and exocrine glands; therefore it significantly contributes to homeostasis (McCorry, 2006). Most of the sensory input is from the thoracic and abdominal viscera and is transmitted to the brainstem by afferent fibers of the cranial nerve X which is the vagus nerve. After the input is integrated the response is carried out by the transmission of nerve signals of the preganglionic autonomic neurons. So what are some functions of the autonomic nervous system one may ask? Blushing (my favorite) is a response from the frontal cortex and involves vasodilatation of blood vessels to the face. Others may include fainting and a fast heart rate or increased blo...

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