<P> The bilaterally symmetric sympathetic chain ganglia , also called the paravertebral ganglia , are located just ventral and lateral to the spinal cord . The chain extends from the upper neck down to the coccyx , forming the unpaired coccygeal ganglion . Preganglionic nerves from the spinal cord synapse at one of the chain ganglia , and the postganglionic fiber extends to an effector , a visceral organ in the thoracic cavity , abdominal cavity , or pelvic cavity . </P>
where are the ganglia of the sympathetic nervous system located
just ventral and lateral to the spinal cord