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The sympathetic nervous system is one of three major parts of the autonomic system. The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is the part of the nervous system that controls most of the things we don't do voluntarily. Things such as heart rate, respiratory rate, sexual arousal and tone of the muscle inside your eye (the iris).

The sympathetic part of the ANS is often considered to promote a "fight or flight response" while the parasympathetic part does the opposite ("rest and digest"). If we think about a dangerous situation where you want to have a "fight or flight response", you generally want to have more light entering your eyes so that you have a heightened visual sense. This is accomplished when your sympathetic nervous system activates the radial muscles of your iris. In contrast, your constricter muscles are relaxed. This leads to dilated pupils forming part of the sympathetic response.

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What are the divisions of the ANS?

The division of the autonomic nervous system responsible for each of the reflexes is the ciliospinal reflex. Ciliospinal reflex responds mainly by the 2nd and 3rd order nerves to the muscle of the iris.


Which system controls the rate at which you blink?

Iris muscles! The circular muscles contract to reduce the size of the pupil in bright light. Radial muscle fibres contract to widen the pupil in places of low light intensity. The contraction and relaxation of circular and radial muscle fibres in the iris are antagonistic, and an example of cerebral reflex.


What part of the PNS controls the pupillary response?

Pupillary response is controlled by the autonomic nervous system.In bright light or when looking at close objects, the parasympathetic nervous system will cause pupillary constriction by activating the sphincter pupillae muscle(s). The parasympathetic nerves that innervate the sphincter pupillae are the short ciliary nerves, which come from the ciliary ganglion in the orbit. Innervation of the ciliary ganglion is via parasympathetic pre-ganglionic fibers traveling with the occulomoter nerve from the edinger-westfall nucleus in the cranial midbrain.In low light, when looking at distant objects, or when stress levels are high (fight or flight) the sympathetic nervous system will cause pupillary dilation by activating the iris dilator muscle(s). The sympathetic nerves that innervate these muscles come from the superior cervical ganglion.


What happens to the iris to allow less light to enter the eye?

The iris contracts to allow less light to enter the eye. This is controlled by the autonomic nervous system in response to changing light conditions, helping to regulate the amount of light reaching the retina.


What body part is the same as the iris diaphragm?

The radial and circular muscles of the iris.

Related Questions

How does the synaptic nervous system affect the iris?

The iris is not innervated directly, however the iris sphincter muscle is affected by the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Sympathetic stimulation causes pupil dilation while parasympathetic nervous system causes pupil constriction. The parasympathetic response is quicker because of the proximity of a parasympathetic ganglion (ciliary ganglion) to the eye. The sympathetic response is slower because all sympathetic ganglia are confined to the spinal cord. This is the reason why people adjust faster to a bright shining light than darkness.


What are the divisions of the ANS?

The division of the autonomic nervous system responsible for each of the reflexes is the ciliospinal reflex. Ciliospinal reflex responds mainly by the 2nd and 3rd order nerves to the muscle of the iris.


What are the intrinsic eye muscles controlled by?

The iris and the ciliary muscle


Which system controls the rate at which you blink?

Iris muscles! The circular muscles contract to reduce the size of the pupil in bright light. Radial muscle fibres contract to widen the pupil in places of low light intensity. The contraction and relaxation of circular and radial muscle fibres in the iris are antagonistic, and an example of cerebral reflex.


What part of the PNS controls the pupillary response?

Pupillary response is controlled by the autonomic nervous system.In bright light or when looking at close objects, the parasympathetic nervous system will cause pupillary constriction by activating the sphincter pupillae muscle(s). The parasympathetic nerves that innervate the sphincter pupillae are the short ciliary nerves, which come from the ciliary ganglion in the orbit. Innervation of the ciliary ganglion is via parasympathetic pre-ganglionic fibers traveling with the occulomoter nerve from the edinger-westfall nucleus in the cranial midbrain.In low light, when looking at distant objects, or when stress levels are high (fight or flight) the sympathetic nervous system will cause pupillary dilation by activating the iris dilator muscle(s). The sympathetic nerves that innervate these muscles come from the superior cervical ganglion.


What causes the pupils to dilate in someone who is excited or frightened?

When someone is excited or frightened, the sympathetic nervous system is activated, causing the release of adrenaline. Adrenaline causes the pupils to dilate by stimulating the dilator muscles around the iris, allowing more light to enter the eye and improving visual acuity to help the individual react quickly to the situation.


What happens to the iris to allow less light to enter the eye?

The iris contracts to allow less light to enter the eye. This is controlled by the autonomic nervous system in response to changing light conditions, helping to regulate the amount of light reaching the retina.


Who invented the iris scanner?

John Daugman was the inventor of the iris recognition system.


What part of the eye controls the amount of light passing into the eye?

The iris controls the amount of light passing into the eye by adjusting the size of the pupil. In bright light, the iris contracts to make the pupil smaller, and in dim light, it dilates to make the pupil larger.


What system that allows the reading of patterns in the iris of the eye?

The system you are referring to is known as iris recognition. It is a biometric technology used to identify individuals based on the unique patterns present in the iris of the eye. Iris recognition is considered one of the most accurate biometric identification methods due to the high level of detail and complexity of iris patterns.


What body part is the same as the iris diaphragm?

The radial and circular muscles of the iris.


What does an iris recognition system measure?

Because our irises are unique, some use iris recognition as a security device.