Which division is responsible for the Fight-or-Flight response?

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

Answer: (A)

The Fight-or-Flight response is driven mainly by the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system. When stress or danger is detected, this system activates to prepare the body for rapid action: heart rate and contractility increase to boost blood flow to muscles, airways dilate to improve breathing, pupils enlarge, blood is redirected away from digestive organs toward skeletal muscles, and energy stores are mobilized. The parasympathetic division, in contrast, promotes rest and digestion; the enteric system governs the gut’s own local activity; and the central nervous system is the brain and spinal cord that process information but does not itself execute the Fight-or-Flight response. So the sympathetic division is the best fit for this function.