Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (551 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
The enteric nervous system; parasympathetic nervous system; and sympathetic nervous system taken together. Generally speaking, the autonomic nervous system regulates the internal environment during both peaceful activity and physical or emotional stress. Autonomic activity is controlled and integrated by the central nervous system, especially the hypothalamus and the solitary nucleus, which receive information relayed from visceral afferents.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Autonomic Nervous Systems; Nervous System, Autonomic; Nervous Systems, Autonomic; System, Autonomic Nervous; Systems, Autonomic Nervous; Vegetative Nervous System; Nervous Systems, Vegetative; Nervous System, Vegetative.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Peripheral Nervous System
- Narrower topics
- Autonomic Pathways; Enteric Nervous System; Ganglia, Autonomic; Parasympathetic Nervous System; Sympathetic Nervous System
- See also
- Autonomic Denervation; Visceral Afferents
Related concepts
- Enteric Nervous System
- Parasympathetic Nervous System
- Sympathetic Nervous System
- Central Nervous System
- Hypothalamus
- Solitary Nucleus
- Visceral Afferents
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 156,605 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Autonomic Nervous System” (counts retrieved 2026-10-29). 13,022 of them (8.3%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 94,097 records.
Reviews account for 16,782 records (10.7%) and meta-analyses for 369. Randomized controlled trials number 3,100 (2.0%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 94,097 |
| 2000-2009 | 25,750 |
| 2010-2019 | 23,736 |
| 2020 onward | 13,022 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 16,782 | 10.7% |
| Meta-analyses | 369 | 0.2% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 3,100 | 2.0% |
Method: PubMed query "Autonomic Nervous System"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-29.
Reading the evidence in neuroscience
Neuroscience draws on tools with different strengths: cellular and animal work can manipulate circuits directly, while human imaging and electrophysiology observe the living brain at lower resolution. Small imaging studies are prone to false positives, and findings in animals do not always carry over to people. Clinical neurology and psychiatry rely on trials and cohort studies whose outcomes are often symptom scales. Check the species, the sample size, how the outcome was measured and whether results were replicated.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A cross-species atlas of the dorsal vagal complex reveals neural mediators of the effects of cagrilintide on energy balance | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 11 | cc by PMID 42260119 · DOI · PMC13303089 |
| Western diet induces iron-dependent enteric neurodegeneration via ferroptosis | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 3 | cc by PMID 42012889 · DOI · PMC13221235 |
| Large-scale and innervated functional human gut tissues for transplantation via transient spheroid confinement | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 2 | cc by PMID 42174194 · DOI · PMC13672046 |
A cross-species atlas of the dorsal vagal complex reveals neural mediators of the effects of cagrilintide on energy balance [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Amylin receptor agonists such as cagrilintide represent emerging obesity therapies.
- Closing excerpt
- Our study provides a cross-species spatially resolved atlas of DVC cell populations and defines Calcr/Prlh neurons as mediators of amylin receptor agonist action.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (152 words)
Amylin receptor agonists such as cagrilintide represent emerging obesity therapies. To understand mediators of cagrilintide action, we generated a transcriptomics atlas of over 530,000 cells comprising 80 neuronal cell populations across rat, mouse and macaque caudal brainstem, with spatial profiling to map distribution in the rat dorsal vagal complex (DVC). Here we show that cagrilintide regulates two conserved Calcr-expressing DVC neuronal populations. While acute cagrilintide treatment alters gene expression in area postrema Calcr/Ramp3 neurons, chemogenetic activation in rats fails to affect long-term food intake and body weight. In contrast, long-term cagrilintide treatment in rats upregulates prolactin-releasing hormone (Prlh) expression in nucleus of the solitary tract Calcr/Prlh cells that are conserved across rodents, macaques and humans. Knocking down DVC Prlh abrogates the effects of cagrilintide but not semaglutide in rats. Our study provides a cross-species spatially resolved atlas of DVC cell populations and defines Calcr/Prlh neurons as mediators of amylin receptor agonist action.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42260119 · DOI · PMC13303089
Western diet induces iron-dependent enteric neurodegeneration via ferroptosis [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- The Western diets (WD), high in saturated fats such as palmitic acid (PA), promotes enteric neurodegeneration and motility disorders.
- Closing excerpt
- In human nhMPG, PA induced enteric neuronal iron loading and ferroptosis, supporting the translational relevance to diet-associated enteric neuropathy.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (235 words)
The Western diets (WD), high in saturated fats such as palmitic acid (PA), promotes enteric neurodegeneration and motility disorders. Using murine models, in vitro systems, and human myenteric ganglia, we investigated whether a WD and PA drive iron-dependent ferroptotic injury in the enteric nervous system (ENS). Mice were fed a control diet (CD) or a WD for 12 weeks, with or without systemic AAV9-MaCPNS2 delivery of Nfe2l2 to enteric neurons. Colonic motility was assessed by a bead expulsion assay. We assessed ferroptosis using convergent readouts including iron dysregulation (transferrin receptor 1 [TfR1], ferritin heavy chain 1 [FTH1], labile and mitochondrial iron [Fe2+]), lipid peroxidation (C11-BODIPY and 4-hydroxynonenal [4-HNE]), glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) suppression, and pharmacologic inhibition by ferrostatin 1 (Fer-1) in primary enteric neurons, murine myenteric plexuses, and human networks of myenteric ganglia (nhMPG). WD-fed mice exhibited delayed colonic transit, increased TfR1 and FTH1, and vulnerability of nNOS neurons; these changes were reversed by nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2; (Nfe2l2, also known as Nrf2) overexpression. RNA-seq of PA-treated immortalized murine fetal enteric neurons (IM-FENs) revealed disrupted neurotransmitter signaling, reduced mitochondrial and antioxidant programs, and increased iron import and lipid peroxidation signatures. PA increased labile Fe2+, mitochondrial ROS, membrane depolarization, Ca2+ dysregulation, 4-HNE, and mitoferrin 2 (Mfrn2), whereas Fer-1 preserved mitochondrial integrity, viability, and ENS function. In human nhMPG, PA induced enteric neuronal iron loading and ferroptosis, supporting the translational relevance to diet-associated enteric neuropathy.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42012889 · DOI · PMC13221235
Large-scale and innervated functional human gut tissues for transplantation via transient spheroid confinement [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Key limitations of current human gastrointestinal organoids include incomplete physiological maturation and the need for complex, time-consuming assembloid approaches to integrate a functional nervous system for transplantation.
- Closing excerpt
- The CCS methodology simplifies current protocols while accelerating the production of complex, functional and clinically relevant gut tissues.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (164 words)
Key limitations of current human gastrointestinal organoids include incomplete physiological maturation and the need for complex, time-consuming assembloid approaches to integrate a functional nervous system for transplantation. Here we present a confined culture system (CCS) method that generates large-scale, elongated and functional human small intestinal, colonic and gastric tissues with a de novo enteric nervous system (ENS). We use a 3D-printed scaffolding tray to restrict spheroid fusion and growth, promoting the spontaneous co-development of a functional ENS. Transcriptomic and electrophysiological data demonstrate selective neuromuscular function and the presence of excitatory and inhibitory neurons within the tissues. When compared to traditional methods, the CCS expedites tissue maturation for transplantation, yielding organoids that are up to ten times larger, reaching widths of 8 cm after 10 weeks, and exhibit enhanced engraftment rate. CCS organoids integrate and adapt to murine luminal environment while maintaining barrier integrity and functional capacity. The CCS methodology simplifies current protocols while accelerating the production of complex, functional and clinically relevant gut tissues.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42174194 · DOI · PMC13672046
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Heart rate variability and inflammation: A meta-analysis of human studies [4]
- Research article Autonomic dysfunction in posttraumatic stress disorder indexed by heart rate variability: a meta-analysis [5]
- Research article Monitoring Athletic Training Status Through Autonomic Heart Rate Regulation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis [6]
- Research article Emotion fingerprints or emotion populations? A meta-analytic investigation of autonomic features of emotion categories [7]
- Research article EUS-guided celiac plexus neurolysis for pain due to chronic pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer pain: a meta-analysis and systematic review [8]
- Research article Effects of voluntary slow breathing on heart rate and heart rate variability: A systematic review and a meta-analysis [9]
References
- Ludwig MQ, Coester B, Gordian D, Hassan S, Tomlinson AJ, Toure MH, et al.. A cross-species atlas of the dorsal vagal complex reveals neural mediators of the effects of cagrilintide on energy balance. . 2026. PMID 42260119 · DOI · PMC13303089
- Balasubramaniam A, Pavlov D, Du Y, Reeves J, Harzman A, Liu Y, et al.. Western diet induces iron-dependent enteric neurodegeneration via ferroptosis. . 2026. PMID 42012889 · DOI · PMC13221235
- Poling HM, Noël T, Singh A, Fisher GW, Thorner K, Chaturvedi P, et al.. Large-scale and innervated functional human gut tissues for transplantation via transient spheroid confinement. . 2026. PMID 42174194 · DOI · PMC13672046
- Williams DP, Koenig J, Carnevali L, Sgoifo A, Jarczok MN, Sternberg EM, et al.. Heart rate variability and inflammation: A meta-analysis of human studies. Brain Behav Immun. 2019. PMID 30872091 · DOI
- Schneider M, Schwerdtfeger A. Autonomic dysfunction in posttraumatic stress disorder indexed by heart rate variability: a meta-analysis. Psychol Med. 2020. PMID 32854795 · DOI · PMC7525781
- Bellenger CR, Fuller JT, Thomson RL, Davison K, Robertson EY, Buckley JD. Monitoring Athletic Training Status Through Autonomic Heart Rate Regulation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2016. PMID 26888648 · DOI
- Siegel EH, Sands MK, Van den Noortgate W, Condon P, Chang Y, Dy J, et al.. Emotion fingerprints or emotion populations? A meta-analytic investigation of autonomic features of emotion categories. Psychol Bull. 2018. PMID 29389177 · DOI · PMC5876074
- Puli SR, Reddy JB, Bechtold ML, Antillon MR, Brugge WR. EUS-guided celiac plexus neurolysis for pain due to chronic pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer pain: a meta-analysis and systematic review. Dig Dis Sci. 2009. PMID 19137428 · DOI
- Laborde S, Allen MS, Borges U, Dosseville F, Hosang TJ, Iskra M, et al.. Effects of voluntary slow breathing on heart rate and heart rate variability: A systematic review and a meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2022. PMID 35623448 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-29.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.