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Which organs are supplied by the superior and inferior mesenteric ganglia?
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nervous system
In a myelinated axon, the myelin sheath prevents the local current (small black arrows) from flowing across the membrane. This forces the current to travel down the nerve fibre to the unmyelinated nodes of Ranvier, which have a high concentration of ion channels. Upon stimulation, these ion channels propagate the action potential (large green arrows) to the next node. Thus, the action potential jumps along the fibre as it is regenerated at each node, a process called saltatory conduction. In an unmyelinated axon, the action potential is propagated along the entire membrane, fading as it diffuses back through the membrane to the original depolarized region.
The superior and inferior mesenteric ganglia are two of the three preaortic ganglia located on the anterior surface of the aorta. These ganglia provide sympathetic innervation to specific visceral organs:1
- Superior mesenteric ganglion: This ganglion innervates the small intestine.1
- Inferior mesenteric ganglion: This ganglion innervates the descending colon, sigmoid colon, rectum, urinary bladder, and sexual organs.1