ACTIVITY 3
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 of the nervous system involved: Parasympathetic Nervous System
Organs Involved: stomach, small intestine, large intestine, liver, pancreas, and gallbladder.
Major Nerve Supply of Each Organ: Vagus nerve
Effects of the Nervous System: Makes overall gastrointestinal motility possible, as well as nutrient handling and gastric acid secretion.
References:
Autonomic Nervous System: What It Is, Function & Disorders. (2022). Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/23273-autonomic-nervous-system#:~:text=Parasympathetic%20nervous%20system%3A%20This%20part,and%2Ddigest%E2%80%9D%20body%20processes.
How Digestion Works. (2022). Hopkinsmedicine.org. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/how-digestion-works
Food Forum, Food and Nutrition Board & Institute of Medicine. (2015, February 27). Interaction Between the Brain and the Digestive System. Nih.gov; National Academies Press (US). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279994/
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?
She experienced the following effects because, during the incident, her sympathetic nervous system activated her fight-or-flight response which occurs whenever you are in a dangerous situation. Her heart is beating fast because it allows the body to provide her with more oxygen and energy that will allow her to quickly respond to the incident. She had goosebumps because the fear and shock she experienced caused the muscles on the base of her hair follicles to contract which explains why her hair stood up. Lastly, as the sympathetic nervous system released adrenaline during the incident, it activated her sweat glands causing her hands to be sweaty.
References:
Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS): What It Is & Function. (2022). Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/23262-sympathetic-nervous-system-sns-fight-or-flight#:~:text=Your%20sympathetic%20nervous%20system%20is,in%20danger%20or%20physically%20active.
Heckman, W. (2019). How the Fight or Flight Response Works - The American Institute of Stress. The American Institute of Stress. https://www.stress.org/how-the-fight-or-flight-response-works#:~:text=Some%20of%20the%20physical%20signs,rapid%20response%20to%20the%20danger.
Family Health Team. (2020, August 21). Why Do You Get Goosebumps? Cleveland Clinic; Cleveland Clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-do-you-get-goosebumps/
Davies, E. (2018, October 12). Why do we sweat when we’re anxious? Sciencefocus.com; BBC Science Focus Magazine. https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/why-do-we-sweat-when-were-anxious/