Postganglionic fibers

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Nerve: Postganglionic fibers
Sympathetic connections of the ciliary and superior cervical ganglia.
Latin	neurofibrae postganglionicae
Dorlands / Elsevier	n_06/12568789

In the autonomic nervous system, fibers from the ganglion to the effector organ are called postganglionic fibers.

[edit] Neurotransmitters

The neurotransmitters used for postganglionic fibers differ:

• In the parasympathetic division, they are cholinergic (that is, they use acetylcholine as their neurotransmitters.)

• In the sympathetic division, most are adrenergic (that is, they use norepinephrine as their neurotransmitters.) One exception of this is the sympathetic innervation of sweat glands, which uses acetylcholine as a neurotransmitter at both pre and post ganglionic synapses.

[edit] See also

• Preganglionic fibers

[edit] External links

• Diagram of postganglionic neuron and its synapse at sns-web.org
• Diagram at University of Waterloo

v • d • e Nerves - autonomic nervous system (sympathetic nervous system/ganglion/trunks and parasympathetic nervous system/ganglion) Head/cranial Ciliary ganglion: roots (Sensory, Parasympathetic, Sympathetic) - Short ciliary Pterygopalatine ganglion: deep petrosal - nerve of pterygoid canal branches of distribution: greater palatine (inferior posterior nasal branches) - lesser palatine - nasopalatine (medial superior posterior nasal branches) - pharyngeal Submandibular ganglion Otic ganglion Neck/cervical paravertebral ganglia: Cervical ganglia (Superior, Middle, Inferior) - Stellate ganglion prevertebral plexus: Cavernous plexus - Internal carotid Chest/thorax paravertebral ganglia: Thoracic ganglia prevertebral plexus: Cardiac plexus - Esophageal plexus - Pulmonary plexus - Thoracic aortic plexus splanchnic nerves: cardiopulmonary - thoracic cardiac nerves: Superior - Middle - Inferior Abdomen/Lumbar paravertebral ganglia: Lumbar ganglia prevertebral ganglia: Celiac ganglia (Aorticorenal) - Superior mesenteric ganglion - Inferior mesenteric ganglion prevertebral plexus: Celiac plexus - (Hepatic, Splenic, Pancreatic) - aorticorenal (Abdominal aortic plexus, Renal/Suprarenal) - Superior mesenteric (Gastric) - Inferior mesenteric (Spermatic, Ovarian) - Superior hypogastric (hypogastric nerve, Superior rectal) - Inferior hypogastric (Vesical, Prostatic/Cavernous nerves of penis, Uterovaginal, Middle rectal) splanchnic nerves: Lumbar splanchnic nerves enteric nervous system: Meissner's plexus • Auerbach's plexus Pelvis/sacral paravertebral ganglia: Sacral ganglia - Ganglion impar splanchnic nerves: Pelvic splanchnic nerves - Sacral splanchnic nerves All Rami communicans (White, Gray) - Preganglionic fibers - Postganglionic fibers