sympathetic nervous system

Examples of sympathetic nervous system in the following topics:

• James–Lange Theory of Emotion

  • For example, if you were to encounter a venomous snake in your backyard, your sympathetic nervous system (responsible for activating your fight-or-flight response) would initiate physiological arousal, making your heart race and increasing your breathing rate.

• Introduction to the Nervous System

  • The basic unit of the nervous system is the neuron.
  • The nervous system can be divided into two major parts—the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS).
  • The PNS can be further subdivided into the autonomic nervous system and the somatic nervous system.
  • The autonomic nervous system is made of two components, which work in opposition to one another: the sympathetic nervous system, responsible for the body's "fight-or-flight" response to danger, and the parasympathetic nervous system, which calms the body back down.
  • The nervous system of the human body, including the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system) and all the nerves of the body (peripheral nervous system).

• How the Body Responds to Stress

  • If glycogen reserves were the only energy source available, neural functioning could not be maintained once the reserves became depleted due to the nervous system's high requirement for glucose.
  • The following are simplified steps that a person's nervous system goes through when it deals with a stressful situation:
  • The sympathetic nervous system regulates the stress response via the hypothalamus.
  • This diagram shows the effects of stress on various parts and systems of the body.
  • The sympathetic nervous system regulates the stress response via the hypothalamus.

• Schachter–Singer Theory of Emotion (Two-Factor Theory)

  • For example, if you were to see a venomous snake in your backyard, the Schachter–Singer theory argues that the snake would elicit sympathetic nervous system activation (physiological arousal) that would be cognitively labeled as fear (cognition) based on the context.

• Biology of Emotion

  • The limbic system, autonomic nervous system, and reticular activating system interact in the processing of emotion.
  • The hypothalamus plays a role in the activation of the sympathetic nervous system, which is a part of any emotional reaction.
  • The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is part of the peripheral nervous system in humans.
  • The ANS can be further subdivided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
  • When activated, the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) controls the endocrine glands to prepare the body for emergency action.

• The Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

  • The peripheral nervous system connects the central nervous system to environmental stimuli to gather sensory input and create motor output.
  • The peripheral nervous system (PNS) is one of the two major components of the body's nervous system.
  • The PNS can also be divided into two separate systems: the autonomic nervous system and the somatic nervous system.
  • This system consists of two complementary parts: the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems.
  • The sympathetic nervous system activates the "fight or flight" response under sudden or stressful circumstances, such as taking an exam or seeing a bear.

• Stimulants

  • Stimulants increase the activity of the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord), the sympathetic nervous system (part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the fight-or-flight response), or both.
  • Some stimulants produce a sense of euphoria, especially those that exert influence on the central nervous system.
  • Addiction to some central-nervous-system stimulants can quickly lead to medical, psychiatric, and psychosocial deterioration.
  • Over time, stimulants can disrupt the functioning of the brain's dopamine system, dampening users' ability to feel any pleasure at all.

• Conscious vs. Unconscious Emotion

  • The cognition of danger and subsequent arousal of the nervous system (e.g. rapid heartbeat and breathing, sweating, muscle tension) is an integral component to the subsequent interpretation and labeling of that arousal as an emotional state.
  • The limbic system is a complex set of brain structures that includes the hypothalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, and other nearby areas of the brain .
  • The autonomic nervous system, and more specifically the sympathetic nervous system, processes the information and produces reactionary behavior.

• The Endocrine System and Stress

  • Stress is the simple name for what happens when the body's emergency response is activated; a stressful event is one that activates the sympathetic (fight-or-flight) nervous system.
  • All vertebrates have an HPA, but the steroid-producing stress response is so important that even invertebrates and monocellular organisms have analogous systems.

• Intro to the Central Nervous System