The part of the nervous system that controls smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and glands, and is subdivided into sympathetic and parasympathetic, is referred to as the:

This part of the nervous system is called autonomic nervous system (ANS). ANS is part of the peripheral nervous system which consists of nerves and ganglia which are located outside the central nervous system-CNS (brain and spinal cord). The main function of ANS is to control the function of internal organs, like smooth muscles or glands. It works unconsciously and regulates functions like the heart rate, digestion, respiratory rate, pupillary response, urination, and sexual arousal. The components of ANS are the sympathetic nervous system (control of the fight-or-flight response) and the parasympathetic nervous system ( the "rest and digest").

The part described above is the Autonomic Nervous system (ANS). It is the involuntary division of the nervous system. It consists of the autonomic neurons that conduct impulses from the central nervous system ( brain and the spinal cord) to glands, smooth muscle and cardiac muscle. It is divided into the parasympathetic which is the rest and digest system, and sympathetic nervous system which triggers the "fight or flight" responses. .