Parasympathetic ganglia are the autonomic ganglia of the parasympathetic nervous system. Most are small terminal ganglia or intramural ganglia, so named because they lie near or within (respectively) the organs they innervate. The exceptions are the four paired parasympathetic ganglia of the head and neck.
Each has three roots entering the ganglion and a variable number of exiting branches.
The motor root carries presynaptic parasympathetic nerve fibers (GVE) that terminate in the ganglion and synapse with the postsynaptic fibers that, in turn, project to target organs.
The sympathetic root carries postsynaptic sympathetic fibers (GVE) that traverse the ganglion without synapsing.
The sensory root carries general sensory fibers (GSA) that also do not synapse in the ganglion.
Some ganglia also carry special sensory fibers (SVA) for taste sensation.
