Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- List of abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part I The autonomic nervous system: functional anatomy and visceral afferents
- Part II Functional organization of the peripheral autonomic nervous system
- Part III Transmission of signals in the peripheral autonomic nervous system
- Part IV Central representation of the autonomic nervous system in spinal cord, brain stem and hypothalamus
- Chapter 8 Anatomy of central autonomic systems
- Chapter 9 Spinal autonomic systems
- Chapter 10 Regulation of organ systems by the lower brain stem
- Chapter 11 Integration of autonomic regulation in upper brain stem and limbic-hypothalamic centers: a summary
- References
- Index
Chapter 8 - Anatomy of central autonomic systems
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 August 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- List of abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part I The autonomic nervous system: functional anatomy and visceral afferents
- Part II Functional organization of the peripheral autonomic nervous system
- Part III Transmission of signals in the peripheral autonomic nervous system
- Part IV Central representation of the autonomic nervous system in spinal cord, brain stem and hypothalamus
- Chapter 8 Anatomy of central autonomic systems
- Chapter 9 Spinal autonomic systems
- Chapter 10 Regulation of organ systems by the lower brain stem
- Chapter 11 Integration of autonomic regulation in upper brain stem and limbic-hypothalamic centers: a summary
- References
- Index
Summary
Tools to investigate the anatomy of the central autonomic systems
The functional specificity of the autonomic regulation of target organs and the neurophysiological recordings from peripheral autonomic neurons (see Chapter 4) argue that central autonomic systems must be differentiated. It seems likely then that the central organization is reflected in the micro- and macroanatomy of the central autonomic systems. Originally, central stimulation and lesion studies, involving recordings from autonomic nerves or autonomic effector responses (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, gastrointestinal motility), gave clues about the location of the autonomic centers in the neuraxis. However, the results from these studies were imprecise so that it was not possible to identify anatomically distinct populations of central neurons as being associated with distinct autonomic output systems. Furthermore, focal electrolytical lesioning and focal electrical stimulation did not discriminate between destruction or excitation of cell bodies and passing axons. With the introduction of chemical stimulation of cell bodies (by microionophoretic application of excitatory amino acids, such as glutamate, aspartate or dl-homocystic acid, or inhibitory amino acids, such as γ-aminobutyric acid [γ-aminobutyric acid] or glycine) it was possible to topically excite or inhibit small populations of central neurons selectively. This technique turned out to be a valuable tool in physiological experimentation.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Integrative Action of the Autonomic Nervous SystemNeurobiology of Homeostasis, pp. 293 - 330Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2006