| A | B |
|---|
| Interoceptor | Sensory receptor located in blood vessels and viscera that provides information about the body's internal environment. |
| sympathetic nervous system | primarily concerned with processes involving the expenditure of energy. |
| parasympathetic nervous system | primarily concerned with activities that conserve and restore body energy. |
| Autonomic nervous system (ANS) | conduct nerve impulses from the central nervous system to smooth muscle - cardiac muscle - and glands |
| Autonomic ganglion | A cluster of cell bodies of sympathetic or parasympathetic neurons located outside the central nervous system. |
| Postganglionic neuron | The second autonomic motor neuron in an autonomic pathway - having its cell body and dendrites located in an autonomic ganglion and its unmyelinated axon ending at cardiac muscle - smooth muscle - or a gland. |
| Preganglionic neuron | The first autonomic motor neuron in an autonomic pathway - with its cell body and dendrites in the brain or spinal cord and its myelinated axon ending at an autonomic ganglion - where it synapses with a postganglionic neuron. |
| Cholinergic neurons | A neuron that liberates acetylcholine as its neurotransmitter. |
| Nicotinic receptors | Receptor for the neurotransmitter acetylcholine found on both sympathetic and parasympathetic postganglionic neurons and on skeletal muscle in the motor end plate |
| Muscarinic receptors | Receptor for the neurotransmitter acetylcholine found on all effectors innervated by parasympathetic postganglionic axons and on sweat glands innervated by cholinergic sympathetic postganglionic axons |
| Adrenergic neurons | A neuron that releases epinephrine (adrenaline) or norepinephrine (noradrenaline) as its neurotransmitter. |
| receptor agonist | binds to receptor and activates it |
| receptor antagonist | binds to receptor and blocks it |
| autonomic tone | balance between sympathetic and parasympatheic activity |
| two divisions of autonomic nervous system | sympathetic and parasympathetic |
| two main types of receptors in the autonomic nervous system | Cholinergic and Andrenergic |
| Two types of Cholinergic receptors | nicotini and muscarinic |
| neurotransmitter released at cholinergic synapes | acetylcholine |
| activation of nicotinic receptors causes | excitation of postsynaptic cell (an autonomic effector or muscle) |
| activation of muscarinic receptors causes | excitation or inhibition of postsynaptic cell - depending on target |
| sympathetic response | "fight or flight" |
| parasympathetic response | "rest and digest" |
| autonomic reflexes (examples) | blood pressure - digestion - defecation - urination |
| major control and integration center for autonomic nervous system | hypothalamus |
