Classification of peripheral nerves

[1] The somatic nervous system directs all voluntary movements of the skeletal muscles, and can be sub-divided into afferent and efferent neuronal flow.

The nerve classifications of the autonomic nervous system created by the traditional methodologies have remained mostly unchanged over the last 100 years.

[11] Isabel Espinosa-Medina, working in the lab of French researcher Jean-François Brunet at IBENS, identified several transcription factors within pre-ganglionic neurons of the lower lumbar and sacral regions that are essential to neurogenesis.

Jänig et al. argue that many of the measured gene markers from Espinosa-Medina are only expressed transiently in the lumbrasacral region to assist in migration and differentiation of these cells.

[9] Furthermore, Jänig et al. state that this reclassification would contradict information on the opposing actions of the pelvic ganglia's parasympathetic and sympathetic pathways.

[7] This overlap is a result of some directly opposing functions of the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems in regulating the stomach region.

Jänig et al. warn that changing the classifications of the systems could result in confusion on how to treat some disease, particularly those of the gut and stomach region.