1. You have been to an ‘eat all you can’ buffet and have consumed large amounts of food. After returning home, you recline on the couch to watch television. Which division of the nervous system will be handling your body’s after-dinner activities? List several organs involved, the major nerve supply to each organ, and the effects of the nervous system on their functions.
- Which division of the nervous system will be handling your body’s after-dinner activities?
- Parasymphatetic Nervous System
- List several organs involved, the major nerve supply to each organ, and the effects of the nervous system on their functions.
- Organs + Major Nerve Supply:
- Salivary Glands - facial nerves (cranial nerve VII) and glossopharyngeal nerves (cranial nerve IX)
- Pancreas, Liver, Stomach, Gallbladder, Intestines, and Heart - vagus nerves (craniel nerve X)
- Effects:
- Salivary glands, Pancreas, Liver - increased secretion
- Stomach and Intestines - increased activity
- Gallbladder - increased contractions
- Heart - decreased force and rate in contractions
- Organs + Major Nerve Supply:
2. Your friend is driving home from work, listening to her favorite music, when suddenly a bicycle came out of nowhere. She manages to swerve avoiding hitting the bicycle. She continued to drive home but she noticed that her heart is beating fast, she had goose bumps, and her heads were sweaty. How would you explain these effects?
- The encounter aroused my friend's fight-or-flight response, leading to heightened sympathetic activity. There is an increase in heart rate, palm perspiration, and contraction of the arrector pili muscles, resulting in goose bumps. These responses are sustained and intensified by the adrenal medullae's release of norepinephrine and epinephrine.