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Function of Autonomic Ganglia

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Book cover The Peripheral Nervous System

Abstract

Integration of autonomic nervous activity is very largely carried out weithin the central nervous system (see Ingram, 1960). This being so, it is not unreasonable to conclude with the authors of one text (Davson and Eggleton, 1968) that integration in autonomic ganglia is a “very minor matter.” Indeed, in many accounts of the autonomic nervous sytem it is assumed that the ganglia merely pass on unmodified the impulses they receive from preganglionic nerve cells, and for practical purposes this view seems to serve very well. Studies of the past 40 years, commencing with those of Eccles in the 1930s, do not, however, support this simplistic view of ganglionic function. It will be shown that, as a result of their anatomical connections (see Chapter 6) and synaptic properties (see Chapter 8), autonomic ganglia are capable of several different kinds of activity each reflecting a particular function.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology, University of Otago Medical School, Dunedin, New Zealand

    J. G. Blackman

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  1. J. G. Blackman
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

    John I. Hubbard

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© 1974 Plenum Press, New York

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Blackman, J.G. (1974). Function of Autonomic Ganglia. In: Hubbard, J.I. (eds) The Peripheral Nervous System. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-8699-9_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-8699-9_11

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4615-8701-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-8699-9

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