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.
Organs Involved:
Heart
- decreased heart rate and force due to activation of the parasympathetic nervous system caused by relaxation (sitting on the couch watching television).
- nerve supply: vagus (X) nerve
Salivary gland
- increased secretion due to activation of the parasympathetic nervous system caused by relaxation (sitting on the couch watching television).
- nerve supply: facial (VII) nerves and glossopharyngeal (IX) nerves
Stomach
- increased activity due to activation of the parasympathetic nervous system caused by relaxation (sitting on the couch watching television).
- nerve supply: vagus (X) nerves
Intestines
- increased activity due to activation of the parasympathetic nervous system caused by relaxation (sitting on the couch watching television).
- nerve supply: vagus (X) nerves
Liver
- increased secretion due to activation of the parasympathetic nervous system caused by relaxation (sitting on the couch watching television).
- nerve supply: vagus (X) nerves
Pancreas
- increased secretion due to activation of the parasympathetic nervous system caused by relaxation (sitting on the couch watching television).
- nerve supply: vagus (X) nerves
Gallbladder
- increased contractions due to activation of the parasympathetic nervous system caused by relaxation (sitting on the couch watching television).
- nerve supply: vagus (X) nerves
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?
The stimulus, the bicycle that came out of nowhere, caused her fight-or-flight response to be activated because it poses a threat to her safety if she collides with it. Along with the fight-or-flight response, the sympathetic nervous system is also activated which causes the fast heart rate, goosebumps, and sweaty hands she experienced.