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Explanation of Terms
Ganglion is a medical term that refers to a mass of body tissue, most commonly a mass of nerve cells. The plural of ganglion is ganglia. When a group of ganglia form an interconnected mass within the body, that mass is called a plexus. The plural of plexus is plexus or plexuses (either spelling is correct).
More on Ganglia
A ganglion is a hub where nerve cells gather and become interwoven. Ganglia are divided into two major groups; dorsal root ganglia, which contain nerve cells that control senses, and autonomic ganglia, which contain nerve cells that control autonomic functions such as heart rate, digestion, respiration, excretion and sexual response. Ganglia are found mostly in the peripheral nervous system, the nerves that are not located in the brain. However, one set of ganglia called the basal ganglia is located in the central nervous system in the brain (particularly the cerebral cortex).
More on Plexus
The human body has over 100 plexus that scientists have identified. However, there are seven major nerve plexus in the human body, each of which controls a specific sets of limbs and organs. They are the cervical plexus (head, neck and shoulders), the brachial plexus (chest, shoulders, arms and hands), lumbar plexus (back, abdomen, groin, thighs, knees and calves), sacral plexus (pelvis, buttocks, genitals, thighs, calves and feet), solar plexus (all internal organs), coccygeal plexus (a small area over the coccyx) and Auerbach's plexus (the gastrointestinal tract).
Other Differences
Though plexus is a term dealing exclusively with nerves, the term ganglia also refers to non-nerve related anatomy. For example, a ganglion cyst does not involve nerves, but is rather a collection of other body cells and fluids that appears most often on the hand, wrist and foot.