Autonomic nerve fiber

Autonomic nerve fibers are the individual nerve fibers (axons) of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which regulate involuntary physiological functions including heart rate, digestion, respiratory rate, pupillary response, urination, and sexual arousal[1][7]. These fibers are classified as either: - Visceral efferent fibers (motor): Carry signals from the central nervous system (CNS) to various organs and tissues, controlling involuntary muscles (smooth and cardiac) and glands. - Visceral afferent fibers (sensory): Carry information from organs back to the CNS, informing the brain about internal body conditions[3][1]. Autonomic nerve fibers are components of nerves, not molecular targets like receptors, enzymes, or transporters. Instead, they are the pathways by which autonomic signals are transmitted throughout the body, consisting of both preganglionic (from CNS to autonomic ganglia) and postganglionic (from ganglia to effector organs) fibers[1][5][7]. They use neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine and norepinephrine to communicate, but the targets for drug action are typically the receptors (e.g., muscarinic, adrenergic) expressed on the effector organs, not the fibers themselves[4][6]. Note: "Autonomic nerve fiber" is not considered a canonical drug target or molecular entity; it is a physiological structure composed of axons. For structured pharmacological data, direct your reference to the specific molecular targets (e.g., adrenergic receptor, muscarinic receptor) found on or interacting with the fibers, rather than the fibers per se. Therefore, both canonical_name and is_target should be flagged accordingly.

Other names

Autonomic fibersVisceral efferent fibersVisceral afferent fibers