X-Vagus

The Vagus nerve is a mixed nerve containing afferent, motor and parasympathetic fibres.

Innervation

Sensory

  • Pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, external ear
  • Aortic bodies, aortic arch
  • Viscera of thorax and abdomen

Motor

  • Soft palate, pharynx, larynx, upper oesophagus

Parasympathetic

  • Viscera of thorax and abdomen

 Function

 Afferent

  • General sensation of pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, tympanic membrane, the external auditory meatus and part of the concha
  • Chemoreception in aortic bodies and baroreception in the aortic arch

Motor

  • Speech and swallowing

Parasympathetic

  • Parasympathetic innervation of the heart, lungs and digestive tract

Anatomy

Many of the central connections of the vagus nerve are shared with the glosspharyngeal nerve.

Somatic afferents terminate in the trigeminal sensory nuclear complex. Fibres carrying taste information terminate in the tractus solitaries. Parasympathetic fibres originate from the dorsal nucleus and nucleus ambiguous. Somatomotor fibres also originate from the nucleus ambiguous.

The vagus nerve leaves the skull via the jugular foramen.

                                                         jugular foramen

Label 9 is the jugular foramen

Image courtesy of https://www.flickr.com/photos/guccibear2005/166907714/ under the creative commons license.