Autonomic control of energy balance and glucose homeostasis

Figures

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  Fig. 1. Autonomic innervation of peripheral organs. The parasympathetic preganglionic neurons (blue dots) are located in the DMV of the brainstem, while the sympathetic preganglionic neurons (red dots) are located in the IML of the thoracic and upper lumbar spinal cord. The parasympathetic preganglionic neurons located in the nucleus ambiguus and the IML of the sacral spinal cord are not shown. The parasympathetic postganglionic neurons (blue dots) are located in the peripheral target organs, while the sympathetic postganglionic neurons (red dots) are located in the sympathetic ganglia within the abdominal cavity. The parasympathetic efferent (blue lines) and sympathetic efferent (red lines) fibers innervate peripheral organs that regulate metabolism, including BAT, pancreas, liver, and WAT. Note that BAT and WAT receive only sympathetic innervation, whereas the pancreas and liver are innervated by both parasympathetic and sympathetic efferent nerves. The parasympathetic afferent fibers (purple lines) have cell bodies (purple dots) in the NG, which send peripheral information to neurons of the NTS (black dots) and AP (neurons not shown). See the text for abbreviations.

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  Fig. 2. Central neurons that regulate autonomic preganglionic neurons. The parasympathetic preganglionic neurons of the DMV (lower left) receive neural input from neurons of the NTS (upper left) and the hypothalamic nuclei (center). The sympathetic preganglionic neurons of the IML (lower right) receive neural input from neurons of the brainstem (upper right) and ARH POMC neurons (lower center). Only selective major innervations are shown for clarity. See the text for abbreviations.