The Integrative Action of the Autonomic Nervous System
Neurobiology of Homeostasis

A detailed overview of the autonomic nerve pathways that regulate all bodily functions other than movement.

Wilfrid Jänig (Author)

9781108478632, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 4 August 2022

432 pages
26 x 20.7 x 2.5 cm, 1.17 kg

'This is the 'Workshop Manual' of how the autonomic nervous system works. The integrative aspect of this book is quite superb. Jänig has avoided the traditional, and unhelpful, silo approach where bodily systems are separated in distinct chapters. This is inconsistent with how the body works. This new edition leaves no 'autonomic' stone unturned, covering endplates to emotion, credits the historical facts that have stood the test of time but kicks those into touch that have not. So pleasing was to see that the book challenges old/outdated dogma and sets the facts straight by reviewing the most current evidence. I know that my copy of this book will spend its life being read and not on a shelf; it will be poured over by professors and students alike. The illustrations require a mention: they are exceptional - clear, concise, and comprehensive. I believe this book will put the autonomic nervous system front and center in the field of neuroscience.' Julian F.R. Paton, Professor of Translational Physiology, University of Auckland, New Zealand

Almost all bodily functions are dependent on activity of the autonomic nervous system – from the cardiovascular system, the gastrointestinal tract, the evacuative and sexual organs, to the regulation of temperature, metabolism and tissue defence. Balanced functioning of each aspect of this system is an important basis of our life and well-being. In this long-awaited second edition, the author, a leading figure in this field, provides an up-to-date and detailed description of the cellular and integrative organization of the autonomic nervous system, covering both peripheral and central aspects. The book exposes modern neurobiological concepts that allow us to understand why this system normally runs so smoothly and why its deterioration has such disastrous consequences. This broad overview will appeal to researchers and advanced undergraduate students of the various biological and medical sciences studying how the autonomic nervous system works and to clinicians and physical therapists whose practice involves systems dependent on autonomic functions.

Foreword to the Second Edition Elspeth McLachlan
Foreword to the First Edition Elspeth McLachlan
Preface
List of abbreviations
Introduction: The autonomic nervous system and the regulation of body functions
Part I. The Autonomic Nervous System: Functional Anatomy and Interoceptive Afferents: 1. Functional anatomy of the peripheral sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system
2. Interoceptive afferent neurons and autonomic regulation with special emphasis on the viscera
Part II. Functional Organization of the Peripheral Autonomic Nervous System: 3. The final autonomic pathway and its analysis
4. The peripheral sympathetic and parasympathetic pathways
5. The enteric nervous system
Part III. Transmission of Signals in the Peripheral Autonomic Nervous System: 6. Impulse transmission through autonomic ganglia
7. Mechanisms of neuroeffector transmission
Part IV. Representation of the Autonomic Nervous System in Spinal Cord, and Lower Brain Stem: 8. Anatomy of central autonomic systems
9. Spinal autonomic systems
10. Regulation of organ systems by the lower brain stem
Part V. The Centers of Homeostasis in the Mesencephalon and Hypothalamus and their Telencephalic Control: 11. Integration of autonomic regulation in upper brain stem and limbic-hypothalamic centers: a summary
Epilogue The autonomic system in future research: some personal views
Index.

Subject Areas: Neurosciences [PSAN], Neurology & clinical neurophysiology [MJN], Physiology [MFG]