Pupil autonomic control

Exposure to drugs which affect the autonomic control of the pupils. 

Complex organ control— the eye The eye contains multiple tissues with various functions, several of them under autonomic control (Figure 6-5). The pupil, discussed above, is under reciprocal control by the SANS (via alpha receptors) and the PANS (via muscarinic receptors) acting on two different muscles in the iris. The ciliary muscle, which controls accommodation, is under primary control of muscarinic receptors innervated by the PANS, with insignificant contributions from the SANS. The ciliary epithelium, on the other hand, has important beta receptors that have a permissive effect on aqueous humor secretion. 

How did scopolamine and atropine, both components of henbane, kill King Hamlet To answer this, let s return to the autonomic nervous system. Recall the functions of the ANS that I mentioned previously. For example, it controls heart and breathing rate, intestinal motility, pupil dilation, salivation, and perspiration The two major components of the ANS, the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems (see Fig. 2—4), essentially function in competition with each other to maintain... 

In the peripheral nervous system, norepinephrine is an important neurotransmitter in the sympathetic branch of the autonomic system. Sympathetic nerve transmission operates below the level of consciousness in controlling physiological function of many organs and tissues of the body. The sympathetic system plays a particularly important role in regulating cardiovascular function in response to postural, exertional, thermal, and mental stress. With sympathetic activation, the heart rate is increased, peripheral arterioles are constricted, skeletal arterioles are dilated, and the blood pressure is elevated. In addition, sympathetic nerve stimulation dilates pupils inhibits smooth muscles of the intestines, bronchi, and bladder and closes the sphincters. Sympathetic signals work in balance with the parasympathetic portion of the autonomic nervous system to maintain a stable internal environment. 

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