Vagus Nerve - What is it?
Dr. Bruno’s Original Post:
MORE THAN YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VAGUS NERVE
What is the Vagus Nerve?
“Your brain is connected to your body through a set of 12 crucial nerve networks that descend through your spine and branch out into your body. Of these, the vagus nerve is probably one of the most important. Its tendrils influence digestion, your heart, your reflexes and your breathing.
So you can see why scientists are so interested in what the vagus nerve does – especially when you consider how all of the above affects your mood. You could call it a superhighway between our brains and bodies.”
Vagus Nerve Function
“In contrast to the rapid ‘fight or flight’ responses that are under the control of the sympathetic arm of the nervous system, the vagus nerve is responsible for many of the slower, ‘rest and digest’ responses that we collectively call the parasympathetic nervous system. The nerve itself is actually two thick bundles of individual neurons (nerve cells) that originate in the brain and pass out to the rest of the body through left - and right-sided openings at the bottom of the skull.”
“Most of the individual neurons that make up the vagus nerve are sensory ones – about 100,000 on each side of the body in humans – which pass messages from the organs to the brain, and are activated by sensory input from the environment. The remainder are motor neurons, which send messages in the opposite direction, from the brain to organs, and directly control . . . muscle movements”, for example in the intestines.
The article continues with four additional topics:
Why is the vagus nerve so important?
How is the vagus nerve connected to our wellbeing?
The vagus nerve and the heart
What happens if the vagus nerve is damaged?
Source: Science Focus