ANS

ANATOMY
SYLLABUS
Introduction to Nervous System
Divisions of autonomic Nervous System:
Sympathetic nervous system (P. 388), Parasympathetic nervous system (P. 389)
Adrenal Medulla:(P. 391)
Gross anatomy and microanatomy

II

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ANATOMY

Past Questions: 4. Mention the extent of the sympathetic trunk and

1. Explain the post ganglionic neuron of name its branches in thorax. (1+1=2)[03 Nov]
sympathetic and parasympathetic systems of 5. Write in brief about the Structures forming
ANS under the following headings: parasympathetic part of the autonomic nervous
a. Origin system of the body with its action on different
body system. (3) [03 June]
b. Course
c. Distribution (1+2+2=5) [09 Dec] Introduction
2. Trace the path of sympathetic fibers from CNS to ♦ Nervous system and endocrine system use
the skin. Name the structures in the skin supplied chemicals for the transmission of information.
by the sympathetic fibers. ♦ Organization of nervous system
(4+1=5)[04 Nov] - Central nervous system (Brain and spinal cord)
3. Draw a labelled diagram to illustrate the - Peripheral nervous system
microscopic structure of sympathetic ganglion. • Somatic nervous system
(5) [05 Nov] • Autonomic nervous system
Somatic Nervous system Autonomic nervous system
1. Consist of single set of neurons i.e. reach the 1. Consist of 2 successive sets of neurons:
effector cells directly. i. Preganglionic
ii. Postganglionic II
2. Effector or target cells: Skeletal muscle fiber 2. Effector cells 3 types
i. Cardiac muscle
ii. Smooth muscle
iii. Glandular cells
3. Stimulation of effector cells produces only 3. Stimulation of effector cells produces either
excitatory response. excitatory or inhibitory response.
4. Effector cells are completely dependent on 4. Effector cells are not completely dependent on
somatic supply i.e. skeletal muscle undergoes autonomic supply.
atrophy after denervation.
5. Nerve plexuses are formed close to the CNS. 5. Nerves form plexuses close to the effector cells.

Autonomic Nervous System ♦ Enteric nervous system (ENS): Is a very large and
highly organized collection of neurons located in
♦ On the basis of anatomical differences, differences
the wall of the GIT.
in the neurotransmitters, and differences in the
- Considered as 3rd division of ANS
physiologic effect, ANS is divided into:
- Includes:
- Sympathetic nervous system
- Parasympathetic nervous system • Myenteric plexus (of Auerbach)
- Enteric nervous system • Submucous plexus (of Meissner)

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Sympathetic Nervous System - Distribution:

Control centre: • Synapse with cells bodies in same level of

sympathetic trunk, from where
- Posterior part of hypothalamus
postganglionic neurons arise. (T2, T3 and T4)
Distribution:
• Travel superiorly in the sympathetic trunk
Widely distributed throughout the body,
to synapse with cervical ganglion. (T1
innervating:
outflow)
II - Heart and lungs
• Travel inferiorly in the trunk to synapse
- Muscles of most of blood vessels lower lumbar and sacral ganglia.
- Hair follicles and sweat glands (L2 outflow)
- Abdominopelvic viscera • Passes through the ganglia of the
Organization of sympathetic nervous system sympathetic trunk without synapsing.
- Efferent fibers (Sympathetic outflow) (T5 – L2)
• Preganglionic sympathetic outflow Sympathetic Trunks [KU 03]
• Sympathetic trunks - These are 2 ganglionated nerve trunks on
• Postganglionic sympathetic outflow either side of vertebral column.
- Afferent fibers - Extent: Extend the whole length of the
vertebral column from base of the skull to the
Preganglionic sympathetic outflow
1st coccygeal vertebra, where the two trunks
- Location of cell bodies: Lateral gray columns
end by joining together to form a single
(horns) of the T1 – L2/L3 spinal segment. Thus,
ganglion, the ganglion impar.
called thoraco-lumbar outflow.
- Sympathetic trunks consist of sympathetic
- Course: Myelinated axons of these cells leave
ganglia:
the spinal cord in the anterior nerve roots and
passes via the white rami communicantes to • 3 cervical ganglia: Superior (largest), middle
the paravertebral ganglia of the sympathetic (smallest) and inferior cervical sympathetic
trunk. ganglia.
• 11 thoracic ganglia: [KU 03]
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Receives preganglionic fibers from T2 to T12; - From the ganglia of T1 to L2, sympathetic
T1 fuses with inferior cervical ganglia to postganglionic fibers arise.
form cervico thoracic (stellate) ganglion. Postganglionic sympathetic outflow [KU 09]
• 4 lumbar ganglia - Origin: These are non myelinated nerve fibers
• 4 sacral ganglia whose cell bodies are located either in lateral
ganglion, collateral or in terminal ganglion.
Lateral ganglion Collateral ganglion Terminal ganglion
Represented by - A pair of ganglionated sympathetic trunks - Coeliac, superior - Chromaffin cells
mesenteric, inferior
mesenteric, aorticorenal
and superior hypogastric
ganglia
Position - Paravertebral - Prevertebral - In suprarenal
medulla

Course - Axon leave the ganglion and pass to the - Reaches the effector cells
thoracic spinal nerves as gray rami via periarterial plexus
communicantes
Distribution - Distributed in branches of the spinal - Distributed to viscera of
nerves to abdomens i.e. stomach,
i. Smooth muscle of blood vessels intestine, kidney.
ii. Sweat glands
iii. Arrector muscles of the hairs of the II
skin.
- Also distributed in heart, lungs, glands,
bladder, sex organs, eye, etc.

Parasympathetic Nervous System ii. CN VII (superior salivatory and

lacrimatory nucleus)
[KU 09, 03]
iii. CN IX (inferior salivatory nucleus)
Control centre: Anterior part of Hypothalamus.
iv. CN X (Dorsal nucleus of vagus)
Organization of parasympathetic system [KU 03]
• Sacral part
- Efferent fibers
→ Arises from cell bodies of S2, S3 and S4 spinal
• Preganglionic parasympathetic fibers
segments as pelvic splanchnic nerve
• Parasympathetic ganglia
→ These neurons terminate by synapting in
• Postganglionic parasympathetic fibers peripheral ganglia located close to the
- Afferent fibers viscera, they innervate.
Preganglionic parasympathetic fibers Parasympathetic ganglia
- Origin: Cranio-sacral outflow - Cranial parasympathetic ganglia: Ciliary,
• Cranial part: pterygopalatine, submandibular and otic.
→ Arises from cranial nerve nuclei in brain - Also in cardiac, pulmonary, myenteric (Auerbach)
stem. and mucosal (Meissner) Plexuses (For vagus)
i. CN III (Edinger-Westphal nucleus) - Sacral ganglia: In Hypogastric plexus.

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Postganglionic parasympathetic Fibers [KU 09] Sympathetic Nervous System V/S

- Origin: In parasympathetic ganglia Parasympathetic Nervous System
• Cranial parasympathetic ganglia Sympathetic Nervous Parasympathetic Nervous
• Sacral parasympathetic ganglia System System
- Course: Are non myelinated and of short - Thoraco-Lumbar - Cranio-sacral outflow
length. Thus, supply to the viscera located outflow (T1-L2/L3 (CN III, VII, IX, X and S2-S4
close to peripheral ganglia. segment) spinal segment)
Microscopic structure of sympathetic ganglia
- Ganglia: Lateral, - Ganglia: Collateral,
- Small sized multipolar neurons are scattered
collateral, terminal Terminal
throughout the ganglion.
- Preganglionic fibers - Preganglionic fibers are
- Multipolar nerve fibers with eccentric nucleus
are shorter than longer than
- Thinner non myelinated nerve fibers are
postganglionic fibers. postganglionic fibers.
present in bundles.
- 1 preganglionic fiber - 1 pregnanglionic synapses
Thin Capsule
synapses with many with only 1 (sometimes
post ganglionic fibers few) postganglionic fiber
Multipolar - Postganglionic - Postganglionic ending
(Nerve cell)
Eccentric Nucleus
ending liberates Nor- liberates Acetylcholine
adrenaline (mostly)
Scattered bundle
of nerve fibers - Control centre is - Control centre is anterior
posterior part of part of hypothalamus
hypothalamus for for parasympathetic
II sympathetic activity. activity.
- Action: Mass action - Action: Localized action
Sympathetic Ganglion
• Heart rate ↑ • Heart rate ↓
White and Gray rami • Pupil dilate • Pupil constrict
White rami Gray rami
• Intestinal • Intestinal peristalsis ↑
- Lateral in position - Medial in position peristalsis ↓
- Convey preganglionic - Convey postganglionic • Bronchodilation • Bronchoconstriction
motor and viscero- motor fibers only
sensory fibers • Blood vessels: • Blood vessels:
Cutaneous Cutaneous dilate,
- Connected to the - Connected to all 31 constrict, Coronary and skeletal
lateral ganglia from T1- pairs of spinal nerves coronary and constrict
L2 spinal nerves from the lateral ganglia
skeletal dilate
- Intersegmental in - Segmental in
• Glandular • Glandular secretion↑
distribution distribution and supply
secretion ↓
sudo motor, pilomotor
and vasoconstrictor • Bladder: Constrict • Bladder: Constrict
fibers of effector trigon detrusor
organs (viscera).

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Neurotransmitter relation in ANS:

II

- Is sandwich between arterial capillary at one

ADRENAL MEDULLA end and venous sinusoid at the other end.
Development - Cytoplasm is basophilic.
- Developed from neuro-ectoderm of the ventral - Secretes: More epinephrine and less nor-
part of the primitive spinal ganglia → derived epinephrine during emergency → stimulate
from neural crest cell. sympathetic nerve endings.
Contents - Nerve innervation: By sympathetic from the
i. Chromaffin cells coeliac plexus conveying fibers from T8 to L1
ii. Ganglion cells spinal segments.
iii. Capillaries Note:
iv. Sinusoids i. Chromaffin cells of medulla act as post ganglionic
neurons.
Chromaffin cells
ii. Chromaffin cell is apolar type of ganglion.
- Is tall columnar cell.

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SPECIAL POINTS FOR MCQs

1. Sensory (afferent) neurons of ANS are located in the dorsal root ganglia, of some spinal nerves
and in sensory ganglia of certain cranial nerves (3, 7, 9, and 10).
2. Preganglionic fibers are shorter in sympathetic while longer in parasympathetic (than
postganglionic fibers)
3. Preganglionic: Postganglionic = 1:20 (or more) in sympathetic and 1:1 (or 1:2) in parasympathetic.
Thus there is mass reaction when sympathetic fiber stimulated but localized and accurate action
when parasympathetic stimulated.
4. Action of sympathetic and parasympathetic are generally antagonist except: Salivary glands
(synergistic action).
i.e. stimulation of sympathetic produce sticky mucus rich secretion while parasympathetic
produces watery serous secretion.
5. Postganglionic sympathetic fibers liberate Nor-adrenaline (Adrenergic system) except:
Postganglionic fibers to
i. Eccrine sweat glands of hairy skin ⎫
⎬
ii. To the arteries supplying limb muscle ⎭ liberate acetylcholine.
6. Preganglionic fibers of both sympathetic and postganglionic parasympathetic fibers liberate
acetylcholine as neurotransmitter.
7. Effector cells supplied only by sympathetic nerves are:
i. Follicular cells of thyroid gland
ii. Juxtaglomerular cells of kidney
iii. Pineal gland
II iv. Chromaffin cells of supra-renal medulla.
8. Effector cells supplied by postganglionic sympathetic endings possess two types of chemically
defined receptors: α and β.
9. White rami of sympathetic trunk convey preganglionic motor and viscero-sensory fibers while
gray rami convey only postganglionic motor fiber.
10. Sympathetic is a nerve of emergency and works during stress and strain to ‘fight, fright or flight’.
11. Structures of skin supplied by sympathetic fibers are: Sweat glands and Arrector pili muscle.
12. Parasympathetic ganglia of CN III, VII and IX are collateral while that of CN X and sacral
components are terminal ganglia.
13. Injury to the preganglionic fibers (T1, T2) in sympathetic trunk in neck region produces Horner’s
syndrome.
14. Preganglionic fibers are myelinated while post ganglionic fibers are nonmyelinated.
15. Normal micturation is exclusively under the control of the parasympathetic nerves.
16. Erection of penis is parasympathetic while seminal ejaculation is sympathetic.
17. Chromaffin cells of the medulla acts as the postganglionic neurons.
18. Cutaneous blood vessels undergo vasoconstriction but skeletal and coronary vessels dilate on
sympathetic stimulation.
19. Sympathetic stimulation is catabolic while Parasympathetic stimulation is anabolic.
20. Parasympathetic system is essential to our life as it regulates the activities of essential organs
through visceral reflexes.

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