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.
The Parasympathetic nervous system is involved, which is responsible for stimulating digestion, activating metabolism, eliminating waste from the body, and relaxes the body.
organs involved: heart, salivary glands, liver, lungs, pancreas, stomach, small and large intestines, gallbladder
major nerve supply: Vagus Nerve (X), Facial Nerve (VII) for salivary glands
effects of nervous system on their functions:
- heart- lowered heart rate as it relaxes from the meal
- salivary glands- increased production of saliva
- liver- increased bile secretion
- stomach- stomach acid is produced to digest the food, breaking down of food
- lungs- respiration is regulated, bronchi tighten
- pancreas- enzymes are secreted
- large intestine- peristalsis, released the food to the rectum for waste disposal
- small intestine- digests fasts, increased motility and gastric secretions
- gallbladder- increased contraction of the gall bladder
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 friend triggered a response from their Sympathetic Nervous System, which activates a 'fight-or-flight response in our body. Notable signs of its trigger are increased heart rate, increased awareness to our surroundings, perspiration like sweating, increased body temperature, and the hair on our limbs standing up.