Chapter 15.2, Problem 3AYLO

Summary Introduction

To discuss:

The gray and white communicating rami that connect the sympathetic ganglia to the spinal nerves; the reason they are named gray and white; and the path that sympathetic nerve fibers take through these rami.

Introduction:

Sympathetic systems arise from the central nervous system, and it controls the autonomic functions of the visceral organs. Ganglions are the collection of nerve fibers that form a nodal center hub to integrate the nerve endings. These ganglions are sympathetic or parasympathetic based on the nerve endings they receive and innervate the target organs. Ganglions are the outcome of nearly 20,000 to 30,000 nerve cell bodies, and they are very close to on adjacent either sides of the spinal cord.