Question

Which glands are known as glands to emergency? How adrenal medulla and sympathetic nervous system function as closely integrated system?

Answer 1

The inner portion of the adrenal gland, known as the medulla, secretes epinephrine and norepinephrine, the hormones important in the fight or flight reaction to a threat or sudden stress. The medulla is known as emergency gland develops from nervous tissue; the autonomic nervous system controls its secretions. The secretion of these hormones is stimulated when nerve impulse reach the adrenal medulla through sympathetic nerve fibres. These hormones act on organs and tissue supplied by sympathetic fibres and produce effect like those of sympathetic stimulation. Noradrenaline is also released at sympathetic nerve terminals to transmit nerve impulses from them to smooth muscles and glands. Both sympathetic nerves and adrenal medulla are stimulated in physical stress like fall in blood pressure or blood sugar, pain, cold or injury; both are also stimulated in emotional stress such as anger, fear and grief. From this it is clearly understood that adrenal medulla and sympathetic nervous system function as an integrated system.