What Does autonomic nervous system Mean
The nervous system is the tissue network responsible for capturing and processing internal and external signals so that the body can develop an effective interaction with the environment. This system senses the stimuli (sensory function), analyzes them, stores information and promotes a decision in this regard (integrative function), which is translated into muscle movement, glandular secretion, etc. (motor function).
Anatomically, the nervous system can be divided into the central nervous system or CNS (made up of the brain and spinal cord) and the peripheral nervous system or PNS (made up of the cranial nerves and spinal nerves). From a functional point of view, however, it is possible to divide the nervous system into the autonomic nervous system and the somatic nervous system .
The autonomic nervous system or vegetative nervous system receives information from the internal environment and sends a response to the muscles, glands and blood vessels. The functions of this nervous system are involuntary and are activated from nerve centers found in the hypothalamus, brain stem, and spinal cord.
Some of these involuntary actions are the heartbeat and the movements of the blood vessels. When the autonomic nervous system is affected, various disorders of varying severity can occur, such as: heart problems; erectile dysfunction; blood pressure problems; difficulty breathing and swallowing.
What the autonomic nervous system does is transmit impulses from the central nervous system to the periphery , stimulating the organs. Blood circulation, respiration, digestion and metabolism are some of the bodily functions regulated by the autonomic nervous system.
The functional division of the autonomic nervous system allows us to speak of the sympathetic system (formed by paravertebral ganglia and prevertebral or pre-aortic ganglia), parasympathetic system (isolated ganglia) and enteric nervous system (which controls the gastrointestinal system).
The disorders that are generally associated with the autonomic nervous system can occur in isolation or as a consequence of other diseases, which are diabetes, Parkinson's disease and alcoholism. In addition, one can speak of disorders that affect the entire system or part of it, as occurs with complex regional pain syndromes.
Some autonomic nervous system problems are transient, although others tend to worsen over time . Disorders that attack heart function or breathing can be life-threatening. When there is an underlying disease (the main one, which causes the problems in question), improvements are sometimes possible if it is treated directly, although more often there is no cure and therefore treatments are aimed at symptoms become less aggressive.
Let's see below some concepts related to the autonomic nervous system:
Dysautonomia
Dysautonomia is a condition that encompasses almost all diseases or dysfunctions of the autonomic nervous system and can manifest itself in different ways, depending on the person. Usually there are sudden drops in blood pressure and heart rate, nausea, vomiting, and dizziness.
Palmar sweating
Also called palmar hyperhidrosis, palmar sweating is an autonomic nervous system reaction that goes hand in hand with anxiety, fear, and despair. This disorder considerably affects the quality of life and is the subject of various clinical investigations, some of which indicate that voluntary control is possible.
Heart rate
The stress psychological reactions may occur by the autonomic nervous system that directly affect the heart rate even if there is a cardiovascular condition. Although voluntary control is not possible, it is possible to regulate this problem through assisted control of the respiratory rate.