visceral

(noun)

Relating to the internal organs.

Related Terms

Examples of visceral in the following topics:

  • Glossopharyngeal (IX) Nerve

    • It receives visceral sensory fibers from the carotid bodies, carotid sinus.
    • Visceral motor (general visceral efferent): Provides parasympathetic innervation of the parotid gland.
    • Visceral sensory (general visceral afferent): Carries visceral sensory information from the carotid sinus and body.

  • Autonomic Reflexes

    • Autonomic reflexes are unconscious motor reflexes relayed from organs and glands to the CNS through visceral afferent signaling.
    • The autonomic nervous system (ANS or visceral nervous system or involuntary nervous system) is the part of the peripheral nervous system that acts as a control system.
    • It functions largely below the level of consciousness, and controls visceral functions.
    • General visceral afferent sensations are mostly unconscious visceral motor reflex sensations from hollow organs and glands that are transmitted to the CNS (see for a depiction of a typical nerve fiber, including general visceral afferent fibers).
    • The pain is also usually referred to dermatomes that are at the same spinal nerve level as the visceral afferent synapse.

  • Branches of Spinal Nerves

    • The dorsal ramus: Contains nerves that serve the dorsal portions of the trunk carrying visceral motor, somatic motor, and sensory information to and from the skin and muscles of the back.
    • The ventral ramus: Contains nerves that serve the remaining ventral parts of the trunk and the upper and lower limbs carrying visceral motor, somatic motor, and sensory information to and from the ventrolateral body surface, structures in the body wall, and the limbs.
    • The rami communicantes: Contain autonomic nerves that carry visceral motor and sensory information to and from the visceral organs.

  • Localization of Pain

    • Localization of pain is determined by whether the pain is superficial somatic, visceral, or deep somatic.
    • Nociceptive pain may also be divided into visceral, deep somatic, and superficial somatic pain.
    • Visceral structures are highly sensitive to stretch, ischemia, and inflammation, but relatively insensitive to other stimuli that normally evoke pain in other structures, such as burning and cutting.
    • Visceral pain is diffuse, difficult to locate, and often referred to a distant, usually superficial, structure.

  • Pericardium

    • The inner layer is known as the visceral layer, which covers and protects the great vessels and heart.
    • The space between the parietal and visceral layers is called the pericardial cavity.
    • The visceral layer is referred to as the epicardium in the areas where it is in direct contact with the heart.
    • The space between these two serous layers, the parietal and the visceral, is the pericardial cavity, which contains pericardial fluid.
    • The pleural and pericardial cavities are exaggerated since normally there is no space between parietal and visceral pleura and between pericardium and heart.

  • Autonomic Plexuses

    • Autonomic plexuses are formed from both sympathetic and parasympathetic fibers and innervate visceral organs to regulate overall activity.
    • Autonomic plexuses are formed from sympathetic postganglionic axons, parasympathetic preganglionic axons, and some visceral sensory axons.
    • It supplies the Bronchial tree and the visceral pleura.
    • Esophageal: The esophageal plexus is formed by nerve fibers from two sources: branches of the vagus nerve and visceral branches of the sympathetic trunk.

  • Serosa

    • For the heart, the surrounding serous membranes include: outer, inner, parietal pericardium and visceral pericardium (epicardium).
    • Early in embryonic life, visceral organs develop adjacent to a cavity and invaginate into the bag-like coelom.
    • The layer in contact with the organ is known as the visceral layer, while the parietal layer is in contact with the body wall.

  • Parasympathetic (Craniosacral) Division

    • The motor root carries presynaptic parasympathetic nerve fibers (general visceral efferent fibers) that terminate in the ganglion by synapsing the postsynaptic fibers traveling to target organs.
    • The sympathetic root carries postsynaptic sympathetic fibers (general visceral efferent fibers) that traverse the ganglion without synapsing.
    • Some ganglia also carry special sensory fibers (special visceral afferent) for taste sensation.

  • Comparing the Somatic and Autonomic Nervous Systems

    • The peripheral nervous system includes both a voluntary, somatic branch and an involuntary division regulating visceral functions.
    • The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is the part of the peripheral nervous system that acts as a control system, functioning largely below the level of consciousness and controlling visceral functions.

  • Serous Membranes

    • Early in embryonic life, visceral organs develop adjacent to a cavity and invaginate into the bag-like coelom.
    • The layer in contact with the organ is known as the visceral layer, while the parietal layer is in contact with the body wall.
    • The pleural and pericardial cavities are exaggerated since normally there is no space between parietal and visceral pleura and between pericardium and heart.