<P> The enteric nervous system (ENS) or intrinsic nervous system is one of the main divisions of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and consists of a mesh - like system of neurons that governs the function of the gastrointestinal tract . It is capable of acting independent of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, although it may be influenced by them . The ENS is also called the second brain . </P> <P> It is derived from neural crest cells . </P> <P> The enteric nervous system in humans consists of some 500 million neurons (including the various types of Dogiel cells), one two - hundredth of the number of neurons in the brain, five times as many as the one hundred million neurons in the human spinal cord, and about 2 / 3 as many as in the whole nervous system of a cat . The enteric nervous system is embedded in the lining of the gastrointestinal system, beginning in the esophagus and extending down to the anus . </P> <P> The neurons of the ENS are collected into two types of ganglia: myenteric (Auerbach's) and submucosal (Meissner's) plexuses . Myenteric plexuses are located between the inner and outer layers of the muscularis externa, while submucosal plexuses are located in the submucosa . </P>

The enteric nervous system is part of the peripheral nervous system and is found in the