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.
Division: The Parasympathetic Nervous System (rest-and-digest).
Involved organs include:
esophagus, heart, lungs, stomach, liver, small intestine, large intestine, and gall bladder.
Major nerve supply to each organ:
The Vagus nerve- Organs active during the rest and digest phase.
Effects on their functions: Acetylcholine is released and so it decreases the heart rate (rest) and increases the production of digestive enzymes (digest).
Heart- slow heart rate
Lungs- tightens airway muscles and reduces efforts of the lungs during rest
Liver- bile secretion
Stomach, Small and large intestines- exerts both excitatory and inhibitory control over gastric and intestinal tone and motility
Gall bladder- regulation of muscle tone
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 goosebumps, and her heads were sweaty. How would you explain these effects?
Division: Sympathetic nervous system
She just experienced an alarming/stressful situation in which during these moments the sympathetic nervous system activated. The fight or flight response initiated the epinephrine, or what is most commonly known as the adrenaline rush activated. This increased the ability of her body to act and react which prompted the emergency response of increased heart rate, goosebumps, and excessive perspiration.
Reference:
Tortora, G. J., & Derrickson, B. (2011). Principles of anatomy & physiology. 13th ed Danvers, MA, Wiley.