Autonomic ganglion
Encyclopedia
Autonomic ganglia are clusters of neuron
al cell bodies and their dendrites and are essentially a junction between autonomic nerves originating from the central nervous system
and autonomic nerves innervating their target organs in the periphery.
The two main categories are:
Neuron
A neuron is an electrically excitable cell that processes and transmits information by electrical and chemical signaling. Chemical signaling occurs via synapses, specialized connections with other cells. Neurons connect to each other to form networks. Neurons are the core components of the nervous...
al cell bodies and their dendrites and are essentially a junction between autonomic nerves originating from the central nervous system
Central nervous system
The central nervous system is the part of the nervous system that integrates the information that it receives from, and coordinates the activity of, all parts of the bodies of bilaterian animals—that is, all multicellular animals except sponges and radially symmetric animals such as jellyfish...
and autonomic nerves innervating their target organs in the periphery.
The two main categories are:
- Sympathetic gangliaSympathetic gangliaSympathetic ganglia are the ganglia of the sympathetic nervous system. They deliver information to the body about stress and impending danger, and are responsible for the familiar fight-or-flight response. They contain approximately 20000–30000 nerve cell bodies and are located close to and...
- Parasympathetic gangliaParasympathetic gangliaParasympathetic ganglia are the autonomic ganglia of the parasympathetic nervous system. Most are small terminal ganglia or intramural ganglia, so named because they lie near or within the organs they innervate...
External links
- The Autonomic Nervous System from the University of Arizona