Functional modulation of the autonomic nervous system.

The Autonomic Nervous System

T sweating sunbather lying quietly in the summer sun or the racing heart and “hair-standing-on-end” sensations experienced by a person suddenly frightened by a horror movie are familiar examples of the body responding automatically to changes in the physical or emotional environment. These responses occur as a result of the actions of the autonomic portion of the nervous system and take place w...

The Autonomic Nervous System

The autonomic nervous system in functional bowel disorders.

Communications along the brain-gut axis involve neural pathways as well as immune and endocrine mechanisms. The two branches of the autonomic nervous system are integrated anatomically and functionally with visceral sensory pathways, and are responsible for the homeostatic regulation of gut function. The autonomic nervous system is also a major mediator of the visceral response to central influ...

Autonomic Nervous System

Autonomic Nervous System Testing

A utonomic nervous system testing is used to document diabetic autonomic failure. Diabetic autonomic failure is defined as impaired function of the peripheral autonomic nervous system and can be divided into two categories: 1) autonomic neuropathy, in which there is a structural lesion of the peripheral autonomic neuron and 2) functional autonomic failure, in which no known structural lesion oc...