Chapter contents
Branchial motor
Visceral motor
Visceral sensory
General sensory| Cranial Nerve X - Vagus | Page 19 of 24 |
Central Course - Visceral Sensory Component
The central processes of the visceral sensory neurons pass from the inferior vagal ganglion through the jugular foramen and enter the medulla. These fibers descend in the tractus solitarius to synapse in the caudal nucleus solitarius.
Figure 10-19. Central course, visceral sensory component.
From the nucleus solitarius, bilateral projections to several areas in the reticular formation and hypothalamus allow reflex control of cardiovascular, respiratory, and gastrointestinal functions.
Connections between the reticular formation and the dorsal motor vagus nuclei (via the reticulobulbar pathway) allow most of these reflexes to be mediated by the visceral motor component of CN X.
