Cervical ganglia
Encyclopedia
The cervical ganglia are paravertebral ganglia
of the sympathetic nervous system
. These emerging postganglionic
nerves synapse with preganglionic
nerves from the thoracic spinal cord. They consist of three paravertebral ganglia
:
Nerves emerging from cervical sympathetic ganglia contribute to the cardiac plexus
, among other things.
Paravertebral ganglia
Along the length of the sympathetic trunk are ganglia known as ganglia of sympathetic trunk or paravertebral ganglia. The ganglia are distinguished as cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral and, except in the neck, they closely correspond in number to the vertebrae.-Arrangement:Only the cervical...
of the sympathetic nervous system
Sympathetic nervous system
The sympathetic nervous system is one of the three parts of the autonomic nervous system, along with the enteric and parasympathetic systems. Its general action is to mobilize the body's nervous system fight-or-flight response...
. These emerging postganglionic
Postganglionic fibers
In the autonomic nervous system, fibers from the ganglion to the effector organ are called postganglionic fibers.-Neurotransmitters:The neurotransmitters used for postganglionic fibers differ:...
nerves synapse with preganglionic
Preganglionic fibers
In the autonomic nervous system, fibers from the CNS to the ganglion are known as preganglionic fibers.All preganglionic fibers, whether they are in the sympathetic division or in the parasympathetic division, are cholinergic .Sympathetic preganglionic fibers tend to be shorter than parasympathetic...
nerves from the thoracic spinal cord. They consist of three paravertebral ganglia
Paravertebral ganglia
Along the length of the sympathetic trunk are ganglia known as ganglia of sympathetic trunk or paravertebral ganglia. The ganglia are distinguished as cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral and, except in the neck, they closely correspond in number to the vertebrae.-Arrangement:Only the cervical...
:
- superior cervical ganglionSuperior cervical ganglionThe superior cervical ganglion , the largest of the cervical ganglia, is placed opposite the second and third cervical vertebræ. It contains neurons that supply sympathetic innervation to the face....
- middle cervical ganglionMiddle cervical ganglionThe middle cervical ganglion is the smallest of the three cervical ganglia, and is occasionally absent.It is placed opposite the sixth cervical vertebra, usually in front of, or close to, the inferior thyroid artery....
- inferior cervical ganglionInferior cervical ganglionThe inferior cervical ganglion is situated between the base of the transverse process of the last cervical vertebra and the neck of the first rib, on the medial side of the costocervical artery....
. The inferior ganglion may be fused with the first thoracic ganglion to form a single structure, the stellate ganglionStellate ganglionThe stellate ganglion is a sympathetic ganglion formed by the fusion of the inferior cervical ganglion and the first thoracic ganglion...
.
Nerves emerging from cervical sympathetic ganglia contribute to the cardiac plexus
Cardiac plexus
The cardiac plexus is a plexus of nerves situated at the base of the heart that innervates the heart.-Structure:The cardiac plexus is divided into a superficial part, which lies in the concavity of the aortic arch, and a deep part, between the aortic arch and the trachea.The two parts are, however,...
, among other things.
External links
- "The Sympathetic Trunk and Cervical Ganglia"- http://www.instantanatomy.net/headneck/nerves/autonomic/cervicalgangliaconnections.html
- http://www.instantanatomy.net/headneck/nerves/autonomic/cervicalganglianeck.html