Books/Autonomic nervous system/Enteric nervous system
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| Autonomic Nervous System |
The enteric nervous system is a third division of the autonomic nervous system that you do not hear much about. The enteric nervous system is a meshwork of nerve fibers that innervate the viscera (gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, and gall bladder).
Scientists who study the network of nerves surrounding the esophagus, stomach and intestines compare it to a microcomputer, and call the better-known brain-in-the-head a "mainframe." But while microcomputers represent the future of silicon processing, this biological micro-in-the-belly is a relic of the distant past, of a time when the most important thing in life was eating.
The enteric nervous system, present in all vertebrates has these functions: to regulate the normal (digestive) activity of the digestive system and prepare it for whatever its future may hold: whether it be sampling lobster thermidor or dodging a headlong charge from the king of the tigers.
With a population of 100 million nerves, the enteric nervous system is as complex as the better studied spinal cord. And like the spinal cord, it transmits and processes messages. (Want to see our coverage of spinal cord repair? Things could be looking up for paralyzed people.)
And while a skull doesn’t protect this nervous system, many of its structures and chemicals parallel those of the mainframe brain. It has sensory and motor neurons, information processing circuits, and the glial cells. It uses the major neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin, acetylcholine, nitric oxide and norepinephrine. It even has benzodaizepines, chemicals of the family of psychoactive drugs that includes Valium and Xanax.
 This is a free Pharmpedia textbookAuthor Prof.A.N.Nagappa |
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