postganglionic fibers
postganglionic fibres

The postganglionic fibers, which must travel the remaining way to the organs they are concerned with, are relatively long.

The sympathetic postganglionic fibers originate from the superior cervical ganglion.

The axons of these cell bodies form a second set of fibers, the postganglionic fibers.

The parasympathetic root (inferior) carries postganglionic fibers to the parotid gland.

Its sympathetic postganglionic fibers consists of a filament from the plexus surrounding the middle meningeal artery.

Sympathetic postganglionic fibers from the deep petrosal nerve which do not synapse in pterygopalatine ganglion.

They play several roles, including acting as the main end-receptor stimulated by acetylcholine released from postganglionic fibers in the parasympathetic nervous system.

By adding a large dose of nicotine, the ganglion (site of relay between pre- and postganglionic fibers) is blocked.

In the autonomic nervous system, fibers from the ganglion to the effector organ are called postganglionic fibers.

The neurotransmitters of postganglionic fibers differ:

Postganglionic fibers in the autonomic nervous system (ANS)

In some cases, the ganglia separating the preganglionic fibers from the postganglionic fibers are actually located within the organ the nerve is servicing.

These postganglionic fibers are part of cranial nerve III (Oculomotor nerve).

These parasympathetic postganglionic fibers come from the facial nerve (CN VII).

Moreover, as the synapses between pre- and postganglionic fibers are called ganglia, the adrenal medulla is actually a ganglion of the sympathetic nervous system.

Catecholamines are produced mainly by the chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla and the postganglionic fibers of the sympathetic nervous system.

There, they synapse with postganglionic fibers which reach the gland by hitch-hiking via the auriculotemporal nerve, a branch of the mandibular nerve.

This nerve synapses in the otic ganglion and its postganglionic fibers form the inferior, parasympathetic root of the auriculotemporal nerve.

Here the fibers synapse and postganglionic fibers join the fibers of the maxillary nerve, which travels through the inferior orbital fissure.

Postganglionic fibers then leave the SCG via the internal carotid nerve and the external carotid nerve.

Postganglionic fibers from the otic ganglion travel with the auriculotemporal branch of CN V3 to enter the substance of the parotid gland.

Here, the preganglionic fibers of the chorda tympani synapse with postganglionic fibers which go on to innervate the submandibular and sublingual salivary glands.

The other postganglionic fibers of the peripheral autonomic system belong to the parasympathetic division; all are cholinergic fibers, and use acetylcholine (ACh) as their neurotransmitter.

After joining the lingual nerve, the preganglionic fibers synapse at the submandibular ganglion and send postganglionic fibers to the sublingual and submandibular salivary glands.

The α-adrenergic receptor binds both norepinephrine released by sympathetic postganglionic fibers and epinephrine (adrenaline) released by the adrenal medulla, binding epinephrine with slightly higher affinity.

Sympathetic postganglionic fibres also join the nerve from the plexus on the internal carotid artery in the wall of the cavernous sinus and are distributed through the nerve, e.g., to the smooth muscle of superior tarsal (Mueller's) muscle.