Neural control of sweat secretion: a review

Abstract

Humans have 4 million exocrine sweat glands, which can be classified into two types: eccrine and apocrine glands. Sweat secretion is a constitutive feature, which is directly involved in thermoregulation and metabolism. Sweat secretion is regulated by both the central nervous system¹ and autonomic nervous system.² In peripheral areas, the ANS, especially the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), mediates the transmission of neurotransmitters to sweat glands. Two principal chemical mediators, acetylcholine and noradrenaline (NA)/adrenaline (ADR), are released by the SNS, which stimulate sweat secretion. In the CNS, the thermoregulatory center in the hypothalamus responds to the elevated body temperature by increasing sweating, whereas emotional stresses stimulate the limbic system to induce sweating. The ANS mediates sweating that is due to stimulation of the thermoregulatory center and limbic system. In this review, we focus on the neural control of sweat secretion and the mechanisms by which chemical mediators induce sweating. In addition, we will discuss the sweating disorders associated with neural anomaly as well as the treatments.

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