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Comprehensive Physiology Jun 2016Comprised of the sympathetic nervous system, parasympathetic nervous system, and enteric nervous system, the autonomic nervous system (ANS) provides the neural control... (Review)
Review
Comprised of the sympathetic nervous system, parasympathetic nervous system, and enteric nervous system, the autonomic nervous system (ANS) provides the neural control of all parts of the body except for skeletal muscles. The ANS has the major responsibility to ensure that the physiological integrity of cells, tissues, and organs throughout the entire body is maintained (homeostasis) in the face of perturbations exerted by both the external and internal environments. Many commonly prescribed drugs, over-the-counter drugs, toxins, and toxicants function by altering transmission within the ANS. Autonomic dysfunction is a signature of many neurological diseases or disorders. Despite the physiological relevance of the ANS, most neuroscience textbooks offer very limited coverage of this portion of the nervous system. This review article provides both historical and current information about the anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology of the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions of the ANS. The ultimate aim is for this article to be a valuable resource for those interested in learning the basics of these two components of the ANS and to appreciate its importance in both health and disease. Other resources should be consulted for a thorough understanding of the third division of the ANS, the enteric nervous system. © 2016 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 6:1239-1278, 2016.
Topics: Autonomic Fibers, Postganglionic; Autonomic Fibers, Preganglionic; Autonomic Nervous System; Humans; Norepinephrine; Parasympathetic Nervous System; Receptors, Cholinergic; Sympathetic Nervous System; Synaptic Transmission
PubMed: 27347892
DOI: 10.1002/cphy.c150037 -
Pediatric Research Jan 2019The central autonomic nervous system (ANS) is essential for maintaining cardiovascular and respiratory homeostasis in the newborn and has a critical role in supporting... (Review)
Review
The central autonomic nervous system (ANS) is essential for maintaining cardiovascular and respiratory homeostasis in the newborn and has a critical role in supporting higher cortical functions. At birth, the central ANS is maturing and is vulnerable to adverse environmental and physiologic influences. Critical connections are formed early in development between the ANS and limbic system to integrate psychological and body responses. The Polyvagal Theory, developed by Stephen Porges, describes how modulation of the autonomic vagal impulse controls social responses and that a broad range of neuropsychiatric disorders may be due to impaired vagal balance, with either deficient vagal tone or excessive vagal reactivity. Under additional circumstances of prematurity, growth restriction, and environmental stress in the fetus and newborn, the immature ANS may undergo "dysmaturation". Maternal stress and health as well as the intrauterine environment are also quite important and have been implicated in causing ANS changes in the infant and neuropsychiatric diseases in children. This review will cover the aspects of ANS development and maturation that have been associated with neuropsychiatric disorders in children.
Topics: Autonomic Nervous System; Autonomic Nervous System Diseases; Child; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Mental Disorders; Risk Factors; Vagus Nerve
PubMed: 30166644
DOI: 10.1038/s41390-018-0155-0 -
Revista de NeurologiaThe autonomic nervous system (ANS) is made up of a complex set of neurons and pathways that control the functioning of the different body systems within the organism.... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is made up of a complex set of neurons and pathways that control the functioning of the different body systems within the organism. Its overall function is that of maintaining a state of homeostasis in the organism and of performing the adaptation responses when faced with changes in the external and internal environment.
METHODS
The ANS is composed of visceral afferent pathways, integration centres at the brain stem, hypothalamus and cerebral cortex levels, as well as sympathetic and parasympathetic efferent pathways. The efferent pathways innerve the cardiac muscle, the smooth muscle and the exocrine and endocrine glands, while the afferent pathways are arranged in two patterns: oligosynaptic circuits, which mediate reflex adaptation responses of the visceral systems, and complex circuits, with projections to nuclei in the brain stem and the brain, where the information is collected and responses are produced that affect numerous systems. The afferent signals activate or inhibit the efferent components of the ANS by means of reflex pathways, independently of the will. These reflex circuits are also modulated by means of signals from central structures, and constitute a central autonomic neuronal network that integrates somatic, autonomic and affective responses.
CONCLUSION
Dysfunctions of the ANS are possibly due to increases or decreases in autonomic control activity, which can appear because of lesions to the brain, spinal cord or peripheral nerves.
Topics: Autonomic Denervation; Autonomic Nervous System; Autonomic Nervous System Diseases; Autonomic Pathways; Baroreflex; Body Temperature Regulation; Humans; Neurotransmitter Agents; Parasympathetic Nervous System; Sympathetic Nervous System; Visceral Afferents
PubMed: 12389173
DOI: No ID Found -
Physiological Measurement May 2017The results of many medical measurements are directly or indirectly influenced by the autonomic nervous system (ANS). For example pupil size or heart rate may... (Review)
Review
The results of many medical measurements are directly or indirectly influenced by the autonomic nervous system (ANS). For example pupil size or heart rate may demonstrate striking moment-to-moment variability. This review intends to elucidate the physiology behind this seemingly unpredictable system. The review is split up into: 1. The peripheral ANS, parallel innervation by the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches, their transmitters and co-transmitters. It treats questions like the supposed sympatho/vagal balance, organization in plexuses and the 'little brains' that are active like in the enteric system or around the heart. Part 2 treats ANS-function in some (example-) organs in more detail: the eye, the heart, blood vessels, lungs, respiration and cardiorespiratory coupling. Part 3 poses the question of who is directing what? Is the ANS a strictly top-down directed system or is its organization bottom-up? Finally, it is concluded that the 'noisy numbers' in medical measurements, caused by ANS variability, are part and parcel of how the system works. This topical review is a one-man's undertaking and may possibly give a biased view. The author has explicitly indicated in the text where his views are not (yet) supported by facts, hoping to provoke discussion and instigate new research.
Topics: Animals; Autonomic Nervous System; Humans; Parasympathetic Nervous System; Sympathetic Nervous System
PubMed: 28304283
DOI: 10.1088/1361-6579/aa6782 -
Seminars in Pediatric Neurology Dec 2018The objective of this article is to understand the complex role of the central autonomic nervous system in normal and complicated fetal-neonatal transition and how... (Review)
Review
The objective of this article is to understand the complex role of the central autonomic nervous system in normal and complicated fetal-neonatal transition and how autonomic nervous system dysfunction can lead to brain injury. The central autonomic nervous system supports coordinated fetal transitional cardiovascular, respiratory, and endocrine responses to provide safe transition of the fetus at delivery. Fetal and maternal medical and environmental exposures can disrupt normal maturation of the autonomic nervous system in utero, cause dysfunction, and complicate fetal-neonatal transition. Brain injury may both be caused by autonomic nervous system failure and contribute directly to autonomic nervous system dysfunction in the fetus and newborn. The central autonomic nervous system has multiple roles in supporting transition of the fetus. Future studies should aim to improve real-time monitoring of fetal autonomic nervous system function and in supporting typical autonomic nervous system development even under complicated conditions.
Topics: Autonomic Nervous System; Autonomic Nervous System Diseases; Central Nervous System; Fetal Diseases; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Newborn, Diseases
PubMed: 30522725
DOI: 10.1016/j.spen.2018.05.004 -
Current Pharmaceutical Design 2017Although evidence over the last 30 years suggests that the autonomic nervous system (ANS) mediates stress-induced allostatic and immune responses, the crucial role that... (Review)
Review
Although evidence over the last 30 years suggests that the autonomic nervous system (ANS) mediates stress-induced allostatic and immune responses, the crucial role that it plays in the tumor micro-environment has only recently been reported. Here, we review the action of ANS signaling in this micro-environment. Emerging data suggest that primary tumors are innervated by the ANS which mediates stress-related effects on tumor progression. The activation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) takes advantage of neurotransmitters and neuropeptides from the innervating neural circuitry and/or hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis glucocorticoids via their receptors to modulate the gene expression associated with oncogenesis, the proliferation and apoptosis of tumor cells, angiogenesis, and the tumor-associated immune response. The parasympathetic nervous system has also been implicated in some tumor types, but its contribution in the tumor micro-environment remains unclear. In addition to identifying the ANS signaling pathways involved in tumor progression, recent reports suggest that the ANS could be a potential biomarker to predict tumor progression, and have identified new pharmacological strategies, such as the use of β-adrenergic blockers, to inhibit tumor progression and metastasis by targeting this system. These findings are reviewed here.
Topics: Autonomic Nervous System; Humans; Neoplasms; Tumor Microenvironment
PubMed: 27784236
DOI: 10.2174/1381612822666161025152942 -
Clinical Autonomic Research : Official... Aug 2019Although autonomic features are part of the diagnostic criteria for complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), the role of the autonomic nervous system in CRPS... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE
Although autonomic features are part of the diagnostic criteria for complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), the role of the autonomic nervous system in CRPS pathophysiology has been downplayed in recent years. The purpose of this review is to redress this imbalance.
METHODS
We focus in this review on the contribution of the autonomic nervous system to CRPS pathophysiology. In particular, we discuss regional sympathetic and systemic autonomic disturbances in CRPS and the mechanisms which may underlie them, and consider links between these mechanisms, immune disturbances and pain.
RESULTS
The focused literature research revealed that immune reactions, alterations in receptor populations (e.g., upregulation of adrenoceptors and reduced cutaneous nerve fiber density) and central changes in autonomic drive seem to contribute to regional and systemic disturbances in sympathetic activity and to sympathetically maintained pain in CRPS.
CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that alterations in the sympathetic nervous system contribute to CRPS pathology. Understanding these alterations may be an important step towards providing appropriate treatments for CRPS.
Topics: Animals; Autonomic Nervous System; Complex Regional Pain Syndromes; Humans; Skin; Sympathetic Nervous System
PubMed: 31104164
DOI: 10.1007/s10286-019-00612-0 -
Progress in Neurology and Psychiatry 1972
Review
Topics: Adrenal Medulla; Animals; Autonomic Nervous System; Blood Vessels; Cholinesterases; Digestive System; Eye; Ganglia, Autonomic; Heart Conduction System; Humans; Hypothalamus; Parasympathetic Nervous System; Pressoreceptors; Urogenital System; Vagus Nerve
PubMed: 4575587
DOI: No ID Found -
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Aug 2022Parental socialization may influence the development of children's autonomic nervous system (ANS), a key stress-response system. However, to date no quantitative... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Parental socialization may influence the development of children's autonomic nervous system (ANS), a key stress-response system. However, to date no quantitative synthesis of the literature linking parenting and child ANS physiology has been conducted. To address this gap, we conducted a pre-registered meta-analysis. A systematic review of the literature identified 103 studies (n = 13,044 participants) with available effect sizes describing the association between parenting and either parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) or sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity in children. The overall analysis revealed non-significant associations between parenting and child ANS physiology on average. However, moderation analyses revealed a positive association between more positive parenting and higher resting PNS activity that was stronger when a study was experimental rather than correlational, and when the sample included children with a clinical condition. In conclusion, well-controlled experimental studies show that positive parenting is associated with the development of higher resting PNS activity, an effect that may be stronger among children who are at elevated developmental risk.
Topics: Autonomic Nervous System; Child; Humans; Parasympathetic Nervous System; Parenting; Rest; Sympathetic Nervous System
PubMed: 35716874
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104734 -
Handbook of Clinical Neurology 2013This chapter conveys several concepts and points of view about the scientific and medical significance of differential alterations in activities of components of the... (Review)
Review
This chapter conveys several concepts and points of view about the scientific and medical significance of differential alterations in activities of components of the autonomic nervous system in stress and disease. The use of terms such as "the autonomic nervous system," "autonomic failure," "dysautonomia," and "autonomic dysfunction" imply the existence of a single entity; however, the autonomic nervous system has functionally and neurochemically distinctive components, which are reflected in differential responses to stressors and differential involvement in pathophysiologic states. One can conceptualize the autonomic nervous system as having at least five components: the sympathetic noradrenergic system, the sympathetic cholinergic system, the parasympathetic cholinergic system, the sympathetic adrenergic system, and the enteric nervous system. Evidence has accumulated for differential noradrenergic vs. adrenergic responses in various situations. The largest sympathetic adrenergic system responses are seen when the organism encounters stressors that pose a global or metabolic threat. Sympathetic noradrenergic system activation dominates the responses to orthostasis, moderate exercise, and exposure to cold, whereas sympathetic adrenergic system activation dominates those to glucoprivation and emotional distress. There seems to be at least as good a justification for the concept of coordinated adrenocortical-adrenomedullary responses as for coordinated adrenomedullary-sympathoneural responses in stress. Fainting reactions involve differential adrenomedullary hormonal vs. sympathetic noradrenergic activation. Parkinson disease entails relatively selective dysfunction of the sympathetic noradrenergic system, with prominent loss of noradrenergic nerves in the heart, yet normal adrenomedullary function. Allostatic load links stress with degenerative diseases, and Parkinson disease may be a disease of the elderly because of allostatic load.
Topics: Animals; Autonomic Nervous System; Autonomic Nervous System Diseases; History, 19th Century; History, 20th Century; History, Ancient; Humans; Meta-Analysis as Topic; Neurotransmitter Agents; Parkinson Disease
PubMed: 24095112
DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-444-53491-0.00002-X