Autonomic Nerves - authored by the same team that created Cranial Nerves - provides an easy-to-follow format designed to make learning about autonomic nerves easier. Teachers, students, and practitioners will find vibrant illustrations integrated with text. Presented in two parts, the first describes the structure and function of the autonomic nerves. The second part addresses autonomic control of individual organ systems in a problem-based learning format. Throughout the text, Autonomic Nerves describes afferent pathways, integrating structures and mechanisms, efferent pathways, and the autonomic effectors. Principles of autonomic neurotransmission are also discussed.

A conspicuous portion of the peripheral nervous system is part of the 'vegetative nervous system'; it includes all the neurons which innerv ate the viscera, salivary and lacrimal glands, the heart and blood vessels, all other smooth muscles of the body, notably the intrinsic muscles of the eye and the muscles of the hair. Only part of the system belongs to the peripheral nervous system: it has also its own nuclei and pathways in the central nervous system. The distinction between visceral and somatic functions is a very old one in our culture. With the development of neurology the notion of a widespread nervous control of body functions emerged. Winslow (1732) used the term nervi sympathici majores for those nerves, which he thought to carry about 'sympathies' and then co ordinate various viscera's functions. His was an anatomical break through, which obscured Willis' 'intercostal nerve' and Vesalius 'cranial nerve'. The notion was developed among others by John stone (1764) who arrived, with the aid of some very accurate anatomical observations, at the problem of the nervous influence on motion and sensitivity of viscera. By the end of the eighteenth century, it was clear, with Bichat (1800), that what he called 'sympa thetic nervous system' (and his pupil Reil, a few years later, 'vegeta tive nervous system ') controlled visceral functions (fa vie organique), whereas somatic functions (fa vie animafe) were under direct control from the brain and spinal cord.

Easily understood, up-to-date and clinically relevant, this book provides junior anaesthetists with an essential physiology resource.

Examines the role of the ANS in the maintenance and control of bodily homeostasis, as well as in the pathogenesis, pathophysiology, and treatment of disorders such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, asthma, arrhythmia, diabetes, ischemia, myocardial infarction, urinary retention, and depression.

Langley defined the autonomic nervous system as an efferent system. He divided it into the orthosympathetic and the parasympathetic.

This open access book sets out the stress-system model for functional somatic symptoms in children and adolescents. The book begins by exploring the initial encounter between the paediatrician, child, and family, moves through the assessment process, including the formulation and the treatment contract, and then describes the various forms of treatment that are designed to settle the child’s dysregulated stress system. This approach both provides a new understanding of how such symptoms emerge – typically, through a history of recurrent or chronic stress, either physical or psychological – and points the way to effective assessment, management, and treatment that put the child (and family) back on the road to health and well-being.

This book for health care practitioners presents the functional importance of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in the physiological, behavioral, and psychological balance in humans. It clearly introduces Stephen W. Porges' polyvagal theory and presents applications to human health.Older and dualistic concepts of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems hold that they operate in complementary and opposing ways; here, the reader will discover a new system with three hierarchical levels arranged according to their functions for adaptation, survival, and homeostasis:?the dorsal vagal branch, which is the most ancient, is responsible for the primary parasympathetic functions;?the sympathetic system, which is in charge of energy mobilization, work, fight, or flight;?the ventral vagal branch, which appeared late in the evolution of mammals, and regulates the thoracic organs, head, and neck, which together with other cranial nerves, are responsible for the social engagement system.The polyvagal theory also serves as a central pillar around which a new explanation of human development is proposed, regrouping physiological, psychological, and spiritual dimensions, and shedding new light on psychosomatic phenomena.In addition to giving a clinical semiological presentation, the chapter on heart rate variability shows how it is possible to quantify the performance of the ventral branch of the vagus nerve and its interaction with the sympathetic system. Moreover, the innovative osteopathic techniques proposed in this book constitute a new approach for treating the vagus nerve and the ANS.Although this book was written by an osteopath, it will benefit all therapists of the body, mind, and spirit who search to deepen their comprehension of human functioning.

The purpose of this book is to present a focused approach to the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of the most common autonomic disorders that may present to the clinical neurologist. Autonomic Neurology is divided into 3 sections. The first section includes 5 chapters reviewing the anatomical and biochemical mechanisms of central and peripheral nervous system control of autonomic function, principles of autonomic pharmacology, and a clinical and laboratory approach to the diagnosis of autonomic disorders. The second section focuses on the pathophysiology and management of orthostatic hypotension, postural tachycardia, baroreflex failure; syncope, disorders of sweating, neurogenic bladder and sexual dysfunction, gastrointestinal dysmotility, and autonomic hyperactivity. The final section is devoted to specific autonomic disorders, including central neurodegenerative disorders; common peripheral neuropathies with prominent autonomic failure; painful small fiber neuropathies; autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathies and neuropathies; focal brain disorders; focal spinal cord disorders; and chronic pain disorders with autonomic manifestations. This book is the product of the extensive experience of its contributors in the evaluation and management of the many patients with autonomic symptoms who are referred for neurologic consultation at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Autonomic Neurology focuses on clinical scenarios and presentation of clinical cases and includes several figures showing the results of normal and abnormal autonomic testing in typical conditions. Its abundance of tables summarizing the differential diagnosis, testing, and management of autonomic disorders also help set this book apart from other books focused on the autonomic nervous system.