brain, spinal cord, and nerve disorders
Overview of the Autonomic Nervous System
Anatomy of the autonomic nervous system
The Autonomic nervous system is the part of the nervous system that supplies the internal organs, including the blood vessels, stomach, intestine, liver, kidneys, bladder, genitals, lungs, pupils, heart, and sweat, salivary, and digestive glands. The autonomic nervous system has two main divisions: Sympathetic Parasympathetic After the autonomic nervous system receives information about the body and external environment, it responds by stimulating body processes, as may be done through the sympathetic division, or inhibiting them, as may be done through the parasympathetic division. An autonomic nerve pathway involves two nerve cells. One cell is located in the Brain stem or spinal cord. It is connected by nerve fibers to the other cell, which is located in a cluster of nerve cells (called an autonomic ganglion). Nerve fibers from these ganglia connect with internal organs. Most of the ganglia for the sympathetic division are located just outside the spinal cord on both sides of it. The ganglia for the parasympathetic division are located near or in the organs they connect with. 