Human Anatomy - Kotsan I. Y. 2009

Autonomic (Vegetative) Nervous System
The Unity of the Autonomic and Somatic Systems

It must be remembered that the Autonomic Nervous system is part of a single, unified nervous system. Therefore, throughout the entire Organism, There is a constant, coordinated interaction between the autonomic and somatic divisions of The Nervous System, involving centers located at various levels of the nervous axis.

Let us examine this integrated activity using The regulation of urination as an example.

The single act of urination involves both involuntary Muscles (the detrusor Muscle of the bladder and the internal urethral sphincter), which are innervated by autonomic nerves, and a voluntary muscle (the external urethral sphincter), innervated by somatic nerves. During this process, the detrusor muscle contracts while both sphincters relax, even though each is innervated by a different part of the nervous system: the bladder sphincter by the autonomic system and the urethral sphincter by the somatic system. This coordination is made possible by the presence of a common integration center in the Brain, reflecting the fact that the autonomic and somatic divisions constitute a unified nervous system.

The limbic system plays a major role in the Integration of the somatic and autonomic nervous systems.

Currently, there is evidence indicating afferent innervation of Internal Organs by the somatic nervous system as well. This may explain the long-known clinical phenomenon of referred pain. Diseases of certain internal organs are consistently accompanied by referred pain in specific Skin areas. For example, pain is felt in the left scapula and left arm during angina pectoris, between the shoulder blades during a Stomach ulcer, in the right iliac fossa during appendicitis, and so on. This pain is localized to specific dermatomes that correspond to the Spinal Cord segments receiving afferent fibers from the affected internal organ. Such skin areas or zones are known as HEAD's zones (or Zakharyin-Head zones), named after the authors who described them.

Basic Latin Terms

Autonomic (vegetative) nervous system — systema nervosum autonomicum

Autonomic (vegetative, visceral) plexuses — plexus autonomici (viscerales)

Sympathetic trunk — truncus sympatheticus

Interganglionic branches — rr. interganglionares

Communicating branches — rr. communicantes

Ganglia of the sympathetic trunk — ganglia trunci sympathetic

Gray communicating branch — r. communicans griseus

White communicating branch — r. communicans albus

Superior cervical ganglion — ganglion cervicale superius

Superior cervical cardiac nerve — n. cardiacus cervicalis superior

Internal carotid nerve — n. caroticus internus

Internal carotid plexus — plexus caroticus internus

Deep petrosal nerve — n. petrosusprofundus

Cavernous plexus — plexus cavernosus

External carotid nerves — nn. carotici externi

External carotid plexus — plexus caroticus externus

Common carotid plexus — plexus caroticus communis

Jugular nerve — n. jugularis

Laryngopharyngeal branches — rr. laryngopharyngeales

Middle cervical ganglion — ganglion cervicale medium

Middle cervical cardiac nerve — n. cardiacus cervicalis medius

Inferior cervical ganglion — ganglion cervicale inferius

Cervicothoracic (stellate) ganglion — ganglion cervicothoracicum (stellatum)

Inferior cervical cardiac nerve — n. cardiacus cervicalis inferior

Vertebral nerve — n. vertebralis

Vertebral plexus — plexus vertebralis

Subclavian loop — ansa subclavia

Thoracic ganglia — ganglia thoracica

Thoracic cardiac branches — rr. cardiaci thoracici

Thoracic pulmonary branches — rr. pulmonales thoracici

Esophageal branches — rr. oesophageales

Greater splanchnic nerve — n. splanchnicus major

Lesser splanchnic nerve — n. splanchnicus minor

Least splanchnic nerve — n. splanchnicus imus

Renal branch — r. renalis

Lumbar ganglia — ganglia lumbalia

Lumbar splanchnic nerves — nn. splanchnici lumbales

Sacral ganglia — ganglia sacralia

Sacral splanchnic nerves — nn. splanchnici sacrales

Ganglion impar — ganglion impar

Thoracic aortic plexus — plexus aorticus thoracicus

Cardiac plexus — plexus cardiacus

Superficial cardiac plexus — plexus cardiacus superficialis

Deep cardiac plexus — plexus cardiacus profundus

Pulmonary plexus — plexus pulmonalis

Esophageal plexus — plexus oesophagealis

Celiac plexus (solar plexus) — plexus (solaris) coeliacus

Celiac ganglia — ganglia coeliaca

Aortico-renal ganglia — ganglia aortorenalia

Hepatic plexus — plexus hepaticus

Splenic plexus — plexus lienalis

Gastric plexuses — plexus gastrici

Pancreatic plexus — plexus pancreaticus

Suprarenal plexus — plexus suprarenalis

Phrenic plexus — plexus phrenicus

Superior mesenteric plexus — plexus mesentericus superior

Superior mesenteric ganglion — ganglion mesentericum superius

Abdominal aortic plexus — plexus aorticus abdominalis

Testicular plexus — plexus testicularis

Ovarian plexus — plexus ovaricus

Inferior mesenteric plexus — plexus mesentericus inferior

Inferior mesenteric ganglion — ganglion mesentericum inferius

Superior hypogastric plexus — plexus hypogastricus superior

Hypogastric nerves (right and left) — n. hypogastricus dexter/sinister

Inferior hypogastric plexus — plexus hypogastricus inferior

Middle rectal plexus — plexus rectalis medius

Inferior rectal plexus — plexus rectalis inferior

Vesical plexus — plexus vesicalis

Prostatic plexus — plexus prostaticus

Ductus deferens plexus — plexus deferentialis

Uterovaginal plexus — plexus uterovaginalis

Ciliary ganglion — ganglion ciliare

Pterygopalatine ganglion — ganglion pterygopalatinum

Submandibular ganglion — ganglion submandibulare

Sublingual ganglion — ganglion sublinguale

Otic ganglion — ganglion oticum

Pelvic splanchnic nerves — nn. splanchnici pelvini

Pelvic ganglia — ganglia pelvica