autonomic nervous system

noun

1. the system of nerves and ganglia that innervates the blood vessels, heart, smooth muscles, viscera, and glands and controls their involuntary functions, consisting of sympathetic and parasympathetic portions.

autonomic nervous system

noun

1. the section of the nervous system of vertebrates that controls the involuntary actions of the smooth muscles, heart, and glands. It has two divisions: the sympathetic and the parasympathetic Compare somatic nervous system

autonomic nervous system

1. The part of the vertebrate nervous system that regulates involuntary activity in the body by transmitting motor impulses to cardiac muscle, smooth muscle, and the glands. The muscular activity of the heart and of the circulatory, digestive, respiratory, and urogenital systems is controlled by the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system is divided into two parts: the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.

autonomic nervous system

1. The part of the nervous system that controls involuntary functions of the body (those not controlled consciously), such as digestion, the beating of the heart, and the operation of glands in the endocrine system.

Word History and Origins

Origin of autonomic nervous system¹

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

When you see green trees, smell pine and hear gentle rustling leaves or the sound of birdsong, your autonomic nervous system - a network of nerves controlling unconscious processes - responds instantly.

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The heart has long been thought to be controlled solely by the autonomic nervous system, which transmits signals from the brain.

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"However, these results provide early evidence that the autonomic nervous system may be a therapeutic target for disease modification of HD."

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Music can activate our autonomic nervous system and even cause shivers down the spine.

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"Our future research will search for ways to block these complications and protect the adrenal gland from receiving 'false' autonomic nervous system information originating from the spinal cord below the lesion site."

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