ANS
Flashcards for Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
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Vocabulary
Flashcard 1
Q: What is the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)?
A: Part of the nervous system outside the brain and spinal cord, including sensory and motor divisions.
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Flashcard 2
Q: What is the Motor (efferent) division?
A: The part of the PNS that sends commands from the CNS to effectors (muscles/glands).
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Flashcard 3
Q: What are effectors?
A: Muscles or glands that respond to nervous system commands.
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Flashcard 4
Q: What is the Somatic Motor Division?
A: Controls voluntary movements and targets skeletal muscles.
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Flashcard 5
Q: What is the Visceral Motor Division?
A: Another name for the autonomic nervous system, controlling involuntary actions in smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and glands.
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Flashcard 6
Q: What is the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)?
A: The part of the nervous system controlling involuntary actions like heart rate and digestion.
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Flashcard 7
Q: What is the Sympathetic Division?
A: The division of the ANS responsible for "fight-or-flight" responses.
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Flashcard 8
Q: What is the Parasympathetic Division?
A: The division of the ANS responsible for "rest-and-digest" responses.
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Flashcard 9
Q: What is dual innervation?
A: When an organ receives input from both sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions, often with opposite effects.
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Flashcard 10
Q: What is acetylcholine (ACh)?
A: A neurotransmitter used in both the somatic and autonomic nervous systems.
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Flashcard 11
Q: What are norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (Epi)?
A: Neurotransmitters primarily used by the sympathetic division to stimulate target tissues.
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Flashcard 12
Q: What is the sympathetic chain?
A: A network of interconnected sympathetic ganglia near the spinal cord.
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Flashcard 13
Q: What is the adrenal cortex?
A: The outer layer of the adrenal gland that releases hormones like cortisol.
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Flashcard 14
Q: What is the adrenal medulla?
A: The inner part of the adrenal gland that secretes epinephrine and norepinephrine.
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Flashcard 15
Q: What is an adrenergic receptor?
A: A receptor that binds norepinephrine or epinephrine, mediating sympathetic effects.
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Flashcard 16
Q: What is a cholinergic receptor?
A: A receptor that binds acetylcholine, mediating parasympathetic effects.
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Flashcard 17
Q: What is a muscarinic receptor?
A: A type of cholinergic receptor found on target tissues in the parasympathetic division.
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Flashcard 18
Q: What is a nicotinic receptor?
A: A type of cholinergic receptor found in autonomic ganglia and the somatic nervous system.
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Flashcard 19
Q: What is vasomotor tone?
A: The constant, low-level stimulation of blood vessels by the sympathetic division to maintain blood pressure.
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Flashcard 20
Q: What are sympathomimetic drugs?
A: Drugs that mimic the effects of the sympathetic division.
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Flashcard 21
Q: What are parasympathomimetic drugs?
A: Drugs that mimic the effects of the parasympathetic division.
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Core Objectives
Flashcard 22
Q: How does the ANS differ from the somatic nervous system?
A: The ANS controls involuntary actions and targets smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and glands, while the somatic system controls voluntary movements and targets skeletal muscles.
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Flashcard 23
Q: How do the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions differ in CNS origin?
A: Sympathetic: Thoracolumbar region (T1-L2); Parasympathetic: Craniosacral region (cranial nerves and sacral spinal cord).
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Flashcard 24
Q: What neurotransmitters are used by each ANS division?
A: Sympathetic: ACh (preganglionic), NE/Epi (postganglionic); Parasympathetic: ACh for both pre- and postganglionic neurons.
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Flashcard 25
Q: How do receptors differ between ANS divisions?
A: Sympathetic: Adrenergic receptors (alpha, beta); Parasympathetic: Cholinergic receptors (muscarinic).
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Flashcard 26
Q: How can one ANS division stimulate one organ but inhibit another?
A: Different receptors on target tissues determine whether stimulation or inhibition occurs.
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Flashcard 27
Q: How does the ANS regulate blood vessel diameter?
A: Sympathetic: Increases BP via vasoconstriction; Parasympathetic: Minimal effect.
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Flashcard 28
Q: How does the ANS regulate heart rate?
A: Sympathetic: Increases heart rate; Parasympathetic: Decreases heart rate.
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Flashcard 29
Q: How does the ANS regulate respiratory rate?
A: Sympathetic: Increases rate and depth; Parasympathetic: Decreases rate.
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Flashcard 30
Q: How does the ANS regulate urination?
A: Sympathetic: Inhibits bladder emptying; Parasympathetic: Stimulates bladder emptying.
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Flashcard 31
Q: How is the ANS connected to the CNS?
A: The ANS is controlled by the hypothalamus, brainstem, and spinal cord, integrating sensory information and regulating involuntary functions.
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These flashcards simplify the ANS concepts while covering the vocabulary and core objectives. Let me know if you'd like to refine or add more!