3. INTRODUCTION
“Vagus” is the Latin word for wandering. Your vagal nerves
take a long, winding course through your body.
The vagus nerves are the longest cranial nerve, running
from your brain to your large intestine. Your left vagus
nerve travels down the left side of your body. The right
vagus nerve travels down the right side of your body.
4. LOCATION
They exit from medulla oblongata lower brainstem.
Then, the nerves pass through or connect with :
● Neck (between your carotid artery and jugular
vein).
● Chest (thorax).
● Heart.
● Lungs.
● Abdomen and digestive tract.
5. FUNCTIONS
vagal nerves are part of your body’s nervous system. They play important roles in involuntary sensory and
motor (movement) functions, including:
1. Digestion.
2. Heart rate, blood pressure and respiration (breathing).
3. Immune system responses.
4. Mood.
5. Mucus and saliva production.
6. Skin and muscle sensations.
7. Speech.
8. Taste.
9. Urine output.
6. REFERENCES
● American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Vagus
Nerve
Stimulation (https://www.aans.org/en/Patients/Neurosurgic
al-Conditions-and-Treatments/Vagus-Nerve-Stimulation).
Accessed 1/11/2022.
● Breit S, Kupferberg A, Rogler G, Hasler G. Vagus Nerve as
Modulator of the Brain-Gut Axis in Psychiatric and
Inflammatory Disorders
(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5859128/).
Front Psychiatry. 2018;9:44. Accessed 1/11/2022.
