Nervous Control of the Urogenital System: v. 3 Autonomic Nervous System

For many years the idea of antagonistic parasympathetic, cholinergic and sympathetic adrenergic control of most organs in visceral and cardiovascular systems formed the working basis for most studies. However, major advances since the 1960s have made it necessary to revise the thinking about mechanisms of autonomic transmission. These advances have significant implications for our understanding of diseases involving the autonomic nervous system and their treatment. In broad terms, these concepts shift the earlier emphasis on central control mechanisms towards greater consideration of the sophisticated local peripheral control mechanisms. Volume one of this series deals with the basic mechanisms of neuroeffector transmission which sets the stage for later volumes devoted to the autonomic nervous control of particular organ systems. Other volumes deal with the central nervous control of autonomic function, interaction of autonomic mechanisms with the endocrine system, development, regeneration and plasticity of the autonomic nervous system and comparative physiology and evolution. This second volume in the series deals with nervous control of the urogenital system. Coverage includes the neural control of renal function, neural regulation of ureteric mobility, synaptic transmission of pelvic ganglia, neural control of penile erection and pain arising from the urogenital tract.