Autonomic nervous system. Illustration of the body organs and systems controlled by the autonomic nervous system (ANS), with neural pathways (red and blue) branching off from the brainstem (top centre) and spinal cord (down centre). Part of the peripheral nervous system, the ANS typically controls smooth muscle and glands. It is a control system that largely operates outside of conscious control, with examples including the heart rate, digestion, respiratory rate, urination, and sexual arousal. Clockwise from centre left are: the heart, the lungs, various eye glands, the liver and gall bladder, the pancreas, the spleen, the stomach and intestines, the female and male reproductive organs, the bladder, the kidneys, the adrenal gland, and the skin.