MTSA Advanced Physiology Test 3 with 500 Questions and Answers Newly UPDATED

MTSA Advanced Physiology: Test 3 with
00 Questions and Answers Newly
UPDATED 2025/2026
big idea for tissues innervated by the autonomic nervous system -

** innervation of tissue not usually under conscious control



examples of tissues innervated by the ANS -

** -cardiac muscle

-electrical fibers of the heart

-smooth muscle (blood vessels)

-glands

-visceral muscle (GI)



number of neurons from grey matter of spinal cord to target tissue in the somatic pathway -

** one



number of neurons from grey matter of spinal cord to target tissue in the ANS -

** two (pre-ganglionic and post ganglionic)



location of cell bodies for ANS pre-ganglionic neurons -

** lateral horns of the gray matter in the spinal cord



regions of spinal cord with lateral horns -

** T1-L2

S2-S4



location in the gray matter of somatic lower motor neurons -

** anterior horn of the gray matter

,divisions of autonomic nervous system -

** sympathetic and parasympathetic



another name for the sympathetic nervous system -

** thoracolumbar division



another name for the parasympathetic nervous system -

** craniosacral division



rational for the name thoracolumbar -

** because the cell bodies for pre-ganglionic neurons originate in the lateral horns of the gray
matter between T1 and L2



rational for the name craniosacral -

** because the cell bodies for the pre ganglionic neurons originate in the brainstem and the lateral
horns in S2-S4



cranial nerves with parasympathetic function -

** CN III, VII, IX, X



site of synapses between pre and post ganglionic neurons in the sympathetic nervous system -

** sympathetic chain ganglia (most) and collateral ganglia



number of sympathetic collateral ganglia -

** four



in the SNS, the preganglionic neuron is... -

** very short



in the SNS the post ganglionic neuron is -

** long

,in the ANS (both SNS and PNS) the preganglionic neuron is always... -

** myelinated type B fiber



in the ANS (both SNS and PNS) the post ganglionic neuron is always -

** unmyelinated type C fibers



are the sympathetic chain ganglia and collateral ganglia close to or far from the spinal cord -

** close



in the PNS, the preganglionic neuron is -

** very long (it goes almost all the way to the target tissue)



site of synapses between pre and post ganglionic neurons in the parasympathetic nervous system -

** terminal ganglia



in the PNS, the post ganglionic neuron is -

** VERY short



sometimes the PNS terminal ganglia is... -

** in the walls of the target tissue = VERY VERY short post ganglionic fiber



almost all tissues have both... -

** SNS and PNS innervation



ANS response is determined by... -

** whether SNS or PNS predominate



even when SNS predominates is there still PNS activity? -

** yes. there can be. (and the same applies in the other direction)



three types of ANS pathways -

, ** -typical SNS pathway

-atypical SNS pathway

-parasympathetic pathway



another name for the typical SNS pathway -

** sympathetic adrenergic pathway



another name for the atypical SNS pathway -

** sympathetic cholinergic pathway



what is the same in ALL ANS pathways -

** -the neurotransmitter released from the pre-ganglionic neuron is acetylcholine



-the receptors on the post-synaptic membrane are nicotinic type 2 receptors



nicotinic type 2 receptors are... -

** fast, ligand gated Na+ channels



neurotransmitter released by the post ganglionic neuron at the target tissue in the typical SNS
pathway -

** norepinephrine



receptors on target tissue for the typical SNS pathway -

** adrenergic receptors (alpha 1, ß1, ß2, etc...)



only two examples of atypical SNS pathway -

** thermoregulatory sweat glands and SOME (very few) blood vessels



what makes the atypical SNS pathway "atypical" -

** the post-ganglionic neuron releases AcH at the target tissue which binds to muscarinic receptors