Which subdivision promotes rest and digestion?

Which subdivision promotes rest and digestion?

• A. Parasympathetic nervous system
• B. Sympathetic nervous system
• C. Central nervous system
• D. Enteric nervous system

Answer: (A)

In the autonomic nervous system, the parasympathetic branch promotes energy conservation and digestion, the classic rest-and-digest state. It slows the heart rate and stimulates digestive processes, saliva production, and nutrient absorption, enabling the body to recover and feed itself after activity. The vagus nerve is a key pathway through which these effects are carried out, using acetylcholine to act on target organs. By contrast, the sympathetic branch prepares the body for action in fight-or-flight situations, increasing heart rate and reducing digestive activity. The central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) integrates information but isn’t the subdivision responsible for promoting rest and digestion across the body, and the enteric nervous system governs local gut circuits but doesn’t drive the broad rest-and-digest state in the same integrative way as the parasympathetic system.

In the autonomic nervous system, the parasympathetic branch promotes energy conservation and digestion, the classic rest-and-digest state. It slows the heart rate and stimulates digestive processes, saliva production, and nutrient absorption, enabling the body to recover and feed itself after activity. The vagus nerve is a key pathway through which these effects are carried out, using acetylcholine to act on target organs. By contrast, the sympathetic branch prepares the body for action in fight-or-flight situations, increasing heart rate and reducing digestive activity. The central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) integrates information but isn’t the subdivision responsible for promoting rest and digestion across the body, and the enteric nervous system governs local gut circuits but doesn’t drive the broad rest-and-digest state in the same integrative way as the parasympathetic system.