The dorsal nucleus of vagus nerve (or posterior nucleus of vagus nerve or dorsal vagal nucleus or nucleus dorsalis nervi vagi or nucleus posterior nervi vagi) is a
cranial nerve nucleus for the
vagus nerve in the
medulla that lies ventral to the floor of the
fourth ventricle. It mostly serves
parasympathetic
The parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) is one of the three divisions of the autonomic nervous system, the others being the sympathetic nervous system and the enteric nervous system. The enteric nervous system is sometimes considered part of t ...
vagal functions in the
gastrointestinal tract
The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The GI tract contains all the major organ (biology), organs of the digestive syste ...
,
lungs, and other
thoracic and
abdominal
The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the torso. ...
vagal innervations. These functions include, among others,
bronchoconstriction and gland secretion.
The cell bodies for the preganglionic parasympathetic vagal neurons that innervate the heart reside in the
nucleus ambiguus.
Additional cell bodies are found in the nucleus ambiguus, which give rise to the branchial efferent motor fibers of the vagus nerve (CN X) terminating in the laryngeal, pharyngeal muscles, and musculus uvulae.
Additional images
File:Gray694.png, Section of the medulla oblongata at about the middle of the olive.
File:Gray696.png, The cranial nerve nuclei schematically represented; dorsal view. Motor nuclei in red; sensory in blue.
File:Dorsal motor nucleus of Vagus with Lewy body pathology (alpha synucleinopathy).svg, Dorsal motor nucleus of Vagus with Lewy body pathology
See also
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Vagovagal reflex
Vagovagal reflex refers to gastrointestinal tract reflex circuits where afferent and efferent fibers of the vagus nerve coordinate responses to gut stimuli via the dorsal vagal complex in the brain. The vagovagal reflex controls contraction of ...
, gastrointestinal tract reflex circuits where afferent and efferent fibers of the vagus nerve.
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Nucleus ambiguus
References
External links
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*
Overview at mcgill.caNIF Search - Dorsal nucleus of vagus nervevia the
Neuroscience Information Framework
Vagus nerve
Cranial nerve nuclei
Medulla oblongata
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