BRAINCAKEParasympathetic Nervous System
The parasympathetic nervous system is most active when the body is at rest. It controls the 'rest and digest' activities that conserve energy and build up the body's stores.
Its preganglionic neurones leave the CNS from the brain (in cranial nerves) and from the sacral (lowest) region of the spinal cord. They are long and synapse in ganglia that lie close to, or inside, the effector organ, so the postganglionic neurones are short. Both the preganglionic and the postganglionic neurones release acetylcholine.
The most important parasympathetic nerve is the vagus nerve, a cranial nerve that runs from the medulla oblongata to the heart, lungs and gut.
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More in Mammalian Nervous System
- Major Areas of the Brain
- Other Areas of the Brain
- Spinal Cord
- Reflex Responses
- Peripheral Nervous System
- Voluntary Nervous System
- Autonomic Nervous System
- Sympathetic Nervous System
All 38 lessons in Mammalian Nervous System · All Edexcel A-level Biology topics