Dorsal Vagal Nucleus

The dorsal nucleus of the vagus nerve (or posterior motor nucleus of vagus) is a cranial nerve nucleus for the vagus nerve that arises from the floor of the fourth ventricle. It mostly serves parasympathetic vagal functions in the gastrointestinal tract, lungs, and other thoracic and abdominal vagal innervations. The cell bodies for the preganglionic parasympathetic vagal neurons that innervate the heart reside in the nucleus ambiguus [Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorsal_nucleus_of_vagus_nerve].

Hierarchy: 5

Parent: medulla oblongata

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