What is Difference Between Sympathetic And Parasympathetic?
Difference Between Sympathetic And Parasympathetic is that Both our body and the mind itself are regulated by the brain and all the connections it contains. The nervous system is responsible for conducting signals between neurons and thus coordinate all the actions of the body. The human nervous system can be divided into two main parts: the central nervous system (or CNS), formed by the brain and the organs closest to it, and the peripheral nervous system (or SNP), formed by the nerves and neurons that They are found outside the central nervous system.
In this online Psychology article, we will focus on a very specific part of the SNP: the autonomic nervous system (SNA). In addition, we will explain the main functions and differences between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems: two major ramifications of the ANS very important in our own survival as human beings.
The autonomic nervous system: definition
As we have commented previously, the SNA (also known as the vegetative nervous system) is located on the periphery of the nervous system, despite being activated by areas such as the hypothalamus, most of its activity is focused on the spinal cord, nerves peripherals, and the brain stem. The nerves that leave the brain and go directly to all the organs of our body (efferent fibers) are part of the autonomic nervous system.
This anatomical organization is due to the fact that it receives and sends the information of the viscera and many of the organs of our body to be able to regulate and correctly stimulate their vegetative functions.
Functions of the Autonomous Nervous System
It has been shown that this system controls the muscles surrounding our organs, regulates the excretory system (sweat, urine, and other secretions) and participates in the following processes:
- Control of reflexes and involuntary actions
- Blood pressure
- Breathing
- Digestion
- Erection and Ejaculation
- Involuntary muscle contraction and relaxation
- …
So that we understand it better, and as a summary, everything that our body does and what we do not usually pay attention to, is controlled by the autonomic nervous system.
Parts of the Autonomous Nervous System
This organization of nerves and neurons is divided into three main parts:
- Sympathetic Nervous System: responsible for regulating bodily activation responses
- Parasympathetic Nervous System: responsible for returning to the state of equilibrium and conservation after activation of the sympathetic system.
- Enteric Nervous System: also known as the “second brain” this system is the least known of the three, is responsible for generating emotional responses from the secretion of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine and endogenous opioids. Thanks to this system, we better understand the relationship between neurotransmitters and emotions.
Next, we will develop in-depth the concepts of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system: its main differences and functions.
Difference between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system
Now that we know that we have incorporated a system solely responsible for controlling the involuntary functions of our body, it is normal to want to know more, what does each system take care of? While it is true that each of those named above has a specific function, it is important to know the close relationship between the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous system.
Both are different faces of the same coin, they are in charge of keeping our body in balance or homeostasis before the different external stimuli. However, the main difference lies in its functions: while one is responsible for activating our body, the other is responsible for relaxing it and returning to the natural state of the organism.
The function of the Sympathetic Nervous System
The nerves, fibers, and neurons of this system are responsible for putting our body in a state of physiological alertness. When the brain sends a warning signal or cortical activation due to a stressful situation, the SNS sends a message to the muscles and glands of our body to get our body in motion as follows:
- The adrenal gland releases adrenaline throughout our bloodstream
- Dilate the pupils
- Accelerates heart rate
- Open the airways to increase the oxygen in the blood
- Inhibits the digestive system to concentrate efforts on attack and flight tasks
- Maintains muscle tone
- Stimulate orgasm
Parasympathetic Nervous System: functions
In contrast to the SNS, we find the SNP. This system is responsible for returning all previously activated organs to our natural state. To do this, it sends signals to the brain so that it releases acetylcholine and reaches the neurons responsible for relaxing muscles and organs. The parasympathetic nervous system has the following main functions:
- Constriction of the pupil
- Lung volume reduction
- Decreased heart rate
- Stimulation of the digestive process
- Muscle relaxation
- Stimulation of sexual arousal (in this case, it is not the opposite response to the SNS, but it complements it)
Sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system diseases
As we have seen, this set of neurons and nerves is extremely important for our survival. Presenting a disease in either system can be a serious problem and we must detect it as soon as possible.
An imbalance in the SNS or SNP will be related to our ability to generate adequate body responses to our environment, the main examples of diseases of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system are the following:
- Fibromyalgia: when the parasympathetic nervous system does not work properly, this disease characterized by enormous pain can appear without apparent physical explanation.
- Multiple sclerosis: this neurodegenerative disease can appear due to the interaction of different factors, one of them is a failure in the autonomic nervous system.
- Parkinson: although the appearance is not directly related to a failure in the ANS, the fact of presenting this disease can lead to serious dysfunction in said system.
- Idiopathic orthostatic hypotension: also known as pure autonomic failure
- Diabetes: This endocrine imbalance is closely related to a malfunction of the parasympathetic nervous system. As we have seen previously, the parasympathetic nervous system is also responsible for regulating some of the functions of the digestive system.
- Other diseases such as botulism, leprosy and Chagas disease can cause nervous system failures.
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