Question

Short / Long answer type question:
Which division- sympathetic or parasympathetic of the autonomic nervous system has longer preganglionic fibres and why?

Answer 1

• Sympathetic preganglionic fibres tend to be shorter than parasympathetic preganglionic fibres because sympathetic ganglia are often closer to the spinal cord that are the parasympathetic ganglia.
• This is due to the number of synapses formed by the preganglionic fibres with ganglionic neurons.
• Hence, the parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system has longer preganglionic fibres.