The Autonomic Nervous System: An Introduction to Basic and Clinical Concepts

In this new and enlarged fifth edition, a number of new topics are broached including the potential viral etiology of certain degenerative autonomic diseases; the effect of hypoxia on this part of the nervous system; the neuroendocrine basis of sexual orientation is reviewed; and the effect of exercise and aging are elaborated. A number of important advances in knowledge needed to be made available to clinicians. These include the realization that some chronic autonomic disorders may be associated with transmissable agents, that profound autonomic dysfunction may be one limiting factor to human space exploration and that autonomic function tests can be standardized and can give meaningful results that are helpful in the management of patients with autonomic failure. The proliferation of autonomic testing laboratories and how they are established is also explained, encouraging the use of autonomic nervous system tests.