Week 1- ANS

Question 1

What type of nerve modality is NOT carried to the skin?

Answer 1

Parasympathetics.

Question 2

What in the skin do sympathetics supply?

Answer 2

They supply the sweat glands, sympathetic tone to the blood vessels and arrector papillae muscle.

Question 3

What level do sympathetics exit the spinal/ cord? What area of the spinal cord do their cell bodies lie?

Answer 3

Exit from T1-L2.

Cell bodies lie in the lateral horns.

Question 4

What does the dorsal ramus supply and with what nerve modalities?

Answer 4

Dorsal ramus supplies the posterior body wall with sympathetics, somatic motor and somatic sensory fibres.

Question 5

What does the anterior/ventral ramus supply and with what nerve modalities?

Answer 5

Ventral ramus supplies the anterior and lateral body wall with sympathetics, somatic motor and somatic sensory fibres.

Question 6

Sensory fibres go through which root to reach the spinal cord?

Answer 6

Go through the dorsal root.

Question 7

Motor fibres go through which root to leave the spinal cord?

Answer 7

Go through the ventral (anterior) root.

Question 8

Describe the role of somatic nerves?

Answer 8

They supply muscles under conscious control (skeletal muscle via somatic motor). They also supply the body wall. Also somatic sensory.

Question 9

What does the autonomic nervous system supply (generally)?

Answer 9

Viscera, glands

Smooth muscle and influences cardiac muscle

Question 10

What is the outflow of parasympathetic fibres described as?

Answer 10

Craniosacral.

Question 11

Which cranial nerves carry parasympathetic fibres?

Answer 11

10, 9, 7 and 3.

Question 12

Which ganglion does the oculomotor nerve parasympathetics go to?

Answer 12

Oculomotor nerve.

Question 13

Which muscle in the eye do the parasympathetics supply?

Answer 13

Sphincter pupillae.
(way to remember. Sympathetic is fight or flight. So when you are scared your eyes go wide- therefore dilator papillae. Parasympathetics are the opposite)

Question 14

Which ganglion does the facial nerve communicate with?

Answer 14

Geniculate ganglion

Pterygopalatine ganglion.

Question 15

What does the facial nerve supply?

Answer 15

Secretomotor to the submandibular and sublingual glands (via geniculate ganglion).
Secretomotor to the lacrimal gland (via pterygopalatine ganglion)

Question 16

Which ganglion does the glossopharyngeal nerve communicate with?

Answer 16

Otic ganglion.

Question 17

What does the glossopharyngeal nerve supply?

Answer 17

Secretomotor to the parotid gland.

Question 18

Which ganglion does the vagus nerve communicate with?

Answer 18

Forms plexuses on organ surfaces so no ganglions (acc one called jugular ganglion but its not relevant here).

Question 19

What does the vagus nerve supply?

Answer 19

Visceral motor fibres to heart, lungs and abdominal viscera.
Also visceral sensory.

Question 20

Where is the sacral outflow of parasympathetic fibres?

Answer 20

S2, S3, S4

Question 21

What are the nerves called which carry the parasympathetic fibres from sacral outflow?

Answer 21

Pelvic splanchnic nerves.

Question 22

Generally, what do the parasympathetic fibres supply?

Answer 22

They supply visceral sensory and visceral motor.

Question 23

Which nerves are mostly responsible for the parasympathetics visceral sensory supply?

Answer 23

CN X and IX.

Question 24

Where does the sympathetic chain end?

Answer 24

Ganglion impar.

Question 25

How does the sympathetic chain communicate with spinal nerves?

Answer 25

Via rami communicans.

Question 26

Describe the lay out of rami communicans?

Answer 26

White rami communicans (found only at levels T1-L2) brings things into the sympathetic chain.
Grey rami communicans takes things out of the sympathetic chain.

Question 27

Describe the options for the course of a nerve entering the sympathetic chain?

Answer 27

1- synapse at that level and leave via grey rami communicans
2- ascend the chain and synapse at a different level
3- descend the chain and synapse at a different level
4- Enter and exit the chain without synapsing and enter and abdominopelvic nerve e.g. to supply adrenal medulla or abdominopelvic viscera.

Question 28

What is referred pain?

Answer 28

Pain from the viscera is interpreted as being from the spinal nerve at that level. E.g. if the visceral sensory nerve enters at L2, pain will be felt in the L2 dermatome.

Question 29

What controls the heart beat?

Answer 29

It has spontaneous control but can be modified by parasympathetic and sympathetic innervation.

Question 30

What is the role of the enteric nervous system?

Answer 30

Regulate peristalsis, vascular tone and secretomotor activity.