The esophageal plexus (oesophageal plexus in British-English) is formed by nerve fibers from two sources, branches of the

vagus nerve The vagus nerve, also known as the tenth cranial nerve, cranial nerve X, or simply CN X, is a cranial nerve that interfaces with the parasympathetic control of the heart, lungs, and digestive tract. It comprises two nerves—the left and right ...

, and visceral branches of the

sympathetic trunk The sympathetic trunks (sympathetic chain, gangliated cord) are a paired bundle of nerve fibers that run from the base of the skull to the coccyx. They are a major component of the sympathetic nervous system. Structure The sympathetic trunk lies j ...

. The esophageal plexus and the

cardiac plexus The cardiac plexus is a plexus of nerves situated at the base of the heart that innervates the heart. Structure The cardiac plexus is divided into a superficial part, which lies in the concavity of the aortic arch, and a deep part, between the ao ...

contain the same types of fibers and are both considered

thoracic autonomic plexus The thorax or chest is a part of the anatomy of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions of the crea ...

Parasympathetic fibers

The

delivers two fiber types to the esophageal plexus: * Parasympathetic preganglionic fibers - These fibers have their cell bodies located in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus and they will synapse on the terminal ganglia in the walls of the

esophagus The esophagus (American English) or oesophagus (British English; both ), non-technically known also as the food pipe or gullet, is an organ in vertebrates through which food passes, aided by peristaltic contractions, from the pharynx to the ...

. *

Afferent fibers Afferent nerve fibers are the axons (nerve fibers) carried by a sensory nerve that relay sensory information from sensory receptors to regions of the brain. Afferent projections ''arrive'' at a particular brain region. Efferent nerve fibers a ...

- These fibers are primarily concerned with autonomic reflexes and they have their cell bodies in the inferior ganglion of the vagus. These vagal fibers in the esophageal plexus reform to make the

anterior vagal trunk The anterior vagal trunk is one of the two divisions (the other being the posterior vagal trunk) into which the vagus nerve splits as it passes through the esophageal hiatus to enter the abdominal cavity. The anterior and posterior vagal trunks r ...

(left vagus) and the

posterior vagal trunk The posterior vagal trunk is one of the two divisions (the other being the anterior vagal trunk) into which the vagus nerve splits as it passes through the esophageal hiatus In human anatomy, the esophageal hiatus is an opening in the diaphragm th ...

(right vagus). Anterior and posterior being terms in relation to the

, a mnemonic for which is 'LARP': Left becomes Anterior, Right becomes Posterior.

Sympathetic fibers

The visceral branches of the

also deliver two fiber types to the esophageal plexus: * Sympathetic postganglionic fibers - The cell bodies of these fibers are located in the

sympathetic chain ganglia The sympathetic ganglia, or paravertebral ganglia are autonomic ganglia, of the sympathetic nervous system. Ganglia are 20,000 to 30,000 afferent and efferent nerve cell bodies that run along on either side of the spinal cord. Afferent nerve c ...

. The cell bodies of the

preganglionic fibers In the autonomic nervous system, fibers from the CNS to the ganglion are known as preganglionic fibers. All preganglionic fibers, whether they are in the sympathetic division or in the parasympathetic division, are cholinergic (that is, these f ...

, the first neuron of this two neuron chain, are located in the

intermediolateral cell column The intermediolateral nucleus (IML) is a region of grey matter found in one of the three grey columns of the spinal cord, the lateral grey column. This is Rexed lamina VII. The intermediolateral cell column exists at vertebral levels T1 – L3. ...

(IMLCC) of the

thoracic spinal cord A spinal nerve is a mixed nerve, which carries motor, sensory, and autonomic signals between the spinal cord and the body. In the human body there are 31 pairs of spinal nerves, one on each side of the vertebral column. These are grouped into the ...

. *

- These fibers are primarily concerned with pain and have cell bodies located in the

dorsal root ganglion A dorsal root ganglion (or spinal ganglion; also known as a posterior root ganglion) is a cluster of neurons (a ganglion) in a dorsal root of a spinal nerve. The cell bodies of sensory neurons known as first-order neurons are located in the dorsa ...

Additional images

File:Gray838.png, The right sympathetic chain and its connections with the thoracic, abdominal, and pelvic plexuses.

References

External links

* - "

Mediastinum The mediastinum (from ) is the central compartment of the thoracic cavity. Surrounded by loose connective tissue, it is an undelineated region that contains a group of structures within the thorax, namely the heart and its vessels, the esophagu ...

: The Esophageal Plexus" {{Authority control Nerve plexus Vagus nerve Nerves of the head and neck

Parasympathetic fibers

Sympathetic fibers

Additional images

See also

References

External links