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. See somatic nervous system
   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

/ ô′tə-nŏm′ĭk /

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

As part of the autonomic nervous system, your vagus nerve normally works without your conscious control.

From Nautilus

They work because the body responds to pressure, stretching, and force by increasing a function of the autonomic nervous system called parasympathetic activity, says Cameron Yuen, a physical therapist at Bespoke Treatments in New York City.

From Outside Online

Through her own research, Dawson recognized she had typical symptoms of POTS, a disorder of the autonomic nervous system, which controls involuntary functions such as heart rate, blood pressure and vein contractions that assist blood flow.

From Time

This is how your autonomic nervous system keeps you out of harm’s way.

From Popular-Science

So, the autonomic nervous system is the part of the nervous system that does everything that you don’t have to think about.

From Freakonomics

He equated this response with altered activity of the autonomic nervous system.

From The Daily Beast

Autonomic nervous system: The vegetative nervous system which controls vital functions,—as digestion, respiration, circulation.

From Project Gutenberg