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.
|
ORGAN |
NERVE SUPPLY |
EFFECT OF NERVOUS SYSTEM ON |
|
Salivary Glands |
Facial Nerve |
Produce saliva |
|
Esophagus |
Vagus Nerve |
Controls swallowing |
|
Heart |
Vagus Nerve |
Reduce heart rate |
|
Stomach |
Vagus Nerve |
Tone and movement of stomach and intestines |
|
Small and Large Intestine |
Vagus Nerve |
Regulates propulsive motion before defacation |
|
Liver |
Vagus Nerve |
Metabolism of ketone bodies |
|
Kidneys |
Vagus Nerve |
Boosts renal vascular resistance |
|
Lungs |
Vagus Nerve |
Gas exchange, tightens muscles that support airways |
|
Pancreas |
Vagus Nerve |
Increase insulin production |
|
Gallbladder |
Vagus Nerve |
Stabilize muscular tone of gallbladder |
The division of the nervous system that handles the body’s after-dinner activities is the Parasympathetic Nervous System.
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 bicycle coming out of nowhere activated the sympathetic nervous system or the body’s fight or flight response due to stress or worry that it could have hit her car. This is controlled by the autonomic nervous system. The activation of the sympathetic nervous system can accelerate heart rate, widen bronchial passages, decrease motility (movement) of the large intestine, constrict blood vessels, cause pupil dilation, activate goose bumps, start sweating and raise blood pressure.