Ganglion
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article deals with the nervous anatomical structure, the ganglion. For the medical term, see Ganglion cyst
- Ganglia redirects here.
In anatomy, a ganglion is a tissue mass, which is composed mainly of somata and dendritic structures, which often interconnect with each other to form a complex system of ganglia known as a plexus. These structures provide relay points and intermediary connections between different neurological structures in the body, such as the peripheral and central nervous systems.
There are two major groups of ganglia: spinal ganglia (also known as the dorsal root ganglia) and autonomic ganglia. The former contains the cell bodies of sensory (afferent) nerves and the latter contains the cell bodies of autonomic nerves.
In the autonomic nervous system, fibers from the CNS to the ganglion are known as preganglionic fibers, while those from the ganglion to the effector organ are called postganglionic fibers.
