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/Structure of the Autonomic Nervous System
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Concept Version 11
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Autonomic Plexuses
Autonomic plexuses are formed from sympathetic and parasympathetic
fibers that innervate and regulate the overall activity of visceral organs.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE
Identify the autonomic plexuses
KEY POINTS
The autonomic plexuses include the cardiac plexus, the pulmonary plexus, the esophageal plexus, the abdonimal
aortic plexus, and the superior and inferior hypogastric plexuses.
Autonomic plexuses are formed from sympathetic postganglionic axons, parasympathetic preganglionic axons,
and some visceral sensory axons.
Plexuses provide a complex innervation pattern to the target organs, since most organs are innervated by both
divisions of the autonomic nervous system.
TERMS
pulmonary plexus
An autonomic plexus formed from the pulmonary branches of the vagus nerve and the sympathetic trunk. It
supplies the bronchial tree and the visceral pleura.
abdominal aortic plexus
This is formed by branches derived, on either side, from the celiac plexus and ganglia, and receives filaments
from some of the lumbar ganglia. It is situated upon the sides and front of the aorta, between the origins of the
superior and inferior mesenteric arteries.
autonomic plexus
Any of the extensive networks of nerve fibers and cell bodies associated with the autonomic nervous system that
are found in the thorax, abdomen, and pelvis, and that contain sympathetic, parasympathetic, and visceral afferent
fibers.
FULL TEXT
Autonomic plexuses are formed from sympathetic postganglionic axons, parasympathetic preganglionic
axons, and some visceral sensory axons. The nerves in the each plexus are close to each other, as in the
plexuses of the somatic nervous system, but typically do not interact or synpase together.
Instead, they provide a complex innervation pattern to the target organs, since most organs are innervated
by both divisions of the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic plexuses include the cardiac plexus, the
pulmonary plexus, the esophageal plexus, and abdominal aortic plexus, and the superior and inferior
hypogastric plexuses.
Plexuses
Cardiac
The cardiac plexus is a plexus of nerves situated at the base of the heart that innervates the heart. The
superficial part of the cardiac plexus lies beneath the arch of the aorta, in front of the right pulmonary
artery. It is formed by the superior cardiac branch of the left sympathetic trunk and the lower superior
cervical cardiac branch of the left vagus nerve. A small ganglion, the cardiac ganglion of Wrisberg, is
occasionally found connected with these nerves at their point of junction.
Pulmonary
The pulmonary plexus is an autonomic plexus formed from pulmonary branches of vagus nerve and the
sympathetic trunk. It supplies the bronchial tree and the visceral pleura.
Esophageal
The esophageal plexus is formed by nerve fibers from two sources: the branches of the vagus nerve and the
visceral branches of the sympathetic trunk. The esophageal plexus and the cardiac plexus contain the same
types of fibers and are both considered thoracic autonomic plexus(es).
Abdominal
The abdominal aortic plexus is formed by branches derived, on either side, from the celiac plexus and
ganglia, and receives filaments from some of the lumbar ganglia. It is situated on the sides and front of the
aorta, between the origins of the superior and inferior mesenteric arteries.
From this plexus arise parts of the spermatic, the inferior mesenteric, and the hypogastric plexuses; it also
distributes filaments to the inferior vena cava.
Sympathetic trunk
This section of the sympathetic trunk shows both the celiac and the hypogastric plexus.
Superior Hypogastric Plexus
The superior hypogastric plexus (in older texts, hypogastric plexus or presacral nerve) is a plexus of nerves
situated on the vertebral bodies below the bifurcation of the abdominal aorta.
Inferior Hypogastric Plexus
The inferior hypogastric plexus (pelvic plexus in some texts) is a plexus of nerves that supplies the viscera
of the pelvic cavity. The inferior hypogastric plexus is a paired structure, with each situated on the side of
the rectum in the male, and at the sides of the rectum and vagina in the female.
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