The Vagus Reflex

Effects of drugs on the reflex response of the cervical vagus nerve.

FiG. 1. Effects of strychnine (100 tcg/kg, i.v.), mephenesin (30 mg/kg), pentobarbital (15 mg/kg), GABA (200 mg/kg) on the reflex response of the right cervical vagus nerve. In each series of record from above downwards : reflex responses to the stimulation of the left cervical vagus, great splanchnic and sciatic nerves. Strychnine (A) augmented and mephenesin (B) reduced mainly the reflex resp...

Metastatic esophageal cancer presenting as shock by injury of vagus nerve mimicking baroreceptor reflex

RATIONALE Neurogenic shock is generally typified by spinal injury due to bone metastases in cancer patients, but continuous disturbance of the vagus nerve controlling the aortic arch baroreceptor can cause shock by a reflex response through the medulla oblongata. PATIENT CONCERNS A 43-year-old woman with dysphagia presented to our hospital. Computed tomography showed a primary tumor adjacent ...

Vagus.

Characterization of noradrenergic transmission at the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus involved in reflex control of fundus tone.

Quantitative analysis of innervation to dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMV) fundus-projecting neurons indicates that approximately 17% of input neurons are noradrenergic. To determine whether this small percentage of neurons innervating DMV output to the stomach is physiologically relevant, we evaluated the role of norepinephrine at the DMV in mediating a vagovagal reflex controlling the fu...

The vagus and the ventricles.

EDITORIAL The Vagus and the Ventricles THE ROLE of the vagus nerve in modulating the electrical activity of the mammalian ventricles and the specialized fibers distal to the atrioventricular node remains a puzzle. For many years, interest in the effects of the vagus on cardiac electrical activity focused on changes in trans-membrane potentials of fibers in the sinoatrial and atrio-ventricular n...