Translations:Sympathikus, sympathisch/2/en

In summary, the sympathetic nervous system leads to a stress reaction by increasing heart activity and blood pressure, promoting blood circulation and the tone of the skeletal muscles, and promoting glycolysis and metabolism.

The core areas of the sympathetic nervous system lie columnar in the spinal cord between cervical and middle lumbar vertebrae. The peripheral sympathetic ganglia form in two chains beside the spinal column the so-called sympathetic chain (Truncus sympathicus). The adrenergic postganglionic nerve fibers release noradrenaline as neurotransmitters. They supply the organs of the chest and abdominal cavity and large parts of the peripheral vascular areas.

The effect of the Sympathetic nervous system is oriented towards the provision of energy and catabolic metabolic processes (ergotropic effect) and in many cases opposed to that of the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS).