Editing Autonomic nervous system (section)

===Sympathetic division===
{{Main|Sympathetic nervous system}}
The sympathetic nervous system consists of cells with bodies in the [[lateral grey column]] from T1 to L2/3. These cell bodies are [[General visceral efferent fibers|"GVE" (general visceral efferent) neurons]] and are the preganglionic neurons. There are several locations upon which preganglionic neurons can synapse for their postganglionic neurons:
* [[paravertebral ganglia]] (3) of the sympathetic chain (these run on either side of the vertebral bodies)
# [[cervical ganglia]] (3)
# [[thoracic ganglia]] (12) and rostral [[lumbar ganglia]] (2 or 3)
# caudal lumbar ganglia and [[sacral ganglia]]
* [[prevertebral ganglia]] (celiac ganglion, aorticorenal ganglion, superior mesenteric ganglion, inferior mesenteric ganglion)
* [[chromaffin cells]] of the [[adrenal medulla]] (this is the one exception to the two-neuron pathway rule: the synapse is directly efferent onto the target cell bodies)
These ganglia provide the postganglionic neurons from which innervation of target organs follows. Examples of [[Splanchnic nerves|splanchnic (visceral) nerves]] are:
* cervical cardiac nerves and thoracic visceral nerves, which synapse in the sympathetic chain
* [[thoracic splanchnic nerves]] (greater, lesser, least), which synapse in the prevertebral ganglia
* [[lumbar splanchnic nerves]], which synapse in the prevertebral ganglia
* [[sacral splanchnic nerves]], which synapse in the inferior hypogastric plexus
These all contain afferent (sensory) nerves as well, known as [[General visceral afferent fibers|GVA (general visceral afferent) neurons]].