Nervous System Autonomic Nervous System

What is the Autonomic Nervous System? Well short story it is made up of motor neurons that conduct impulses from the spinal cord or brain stem to the cardiac muscle tissues, smooth muscle tissue and glandular epithelial tissue of the body. There are two major categories of the Autonomic nervous system which massage therapists should know well. They are the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system reactions of the body, because we are talking about the ANS I should state that they can be influenced but not directly controlled by conscious thought from the brain.

Motor neurons or nerves that control voluntary actions of the skeletal muscle system is called the somatic nervous system not to be confused with the Autonomic Nervous system which is involuntary. Motor neurons that make up the Autonomic Nervous system (ANS) are called autonomic neurons. These neurons converge in “Junction Boxes” which are called ganglia. Preganglionic neurons are Autonomic neurons that conduct impulses from the ganglion to cardiac muscle, smooth muscle and epithelial tissue.

Autonomic also known as visceral effectors, are tissues in which automonic neurons conduct impulses throughout the body. Visceral Autonomic effectors, which are cardiac muscle, smooth muscle, and glandular epithelial tissue and very interweave throughout the ventral cavity of the body.

Parasympathetic Nervous system also known as craniosacral system can slow the heartbeat and increase peristalsis and secretion of digestive juices and insulin in the body. Peristalsis is the digestives way of moving food along the digestive tract which is will go more in depth in a different article by contractions in the various organs of the digestive system.

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