vagus nerve
either one of the tenth pair of cranial nerves, consisting of motor fibers that innervate the muscles of the pharynx, larynx, heart, and thoracic and abdominal viscera, and of sensory fibers that conduct impulses from these structures to the brain.
Origin of vagus nerve
1Words Nearby vagus nerve
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use vagus nerve in a sentence
Neuroscientist Steven Porges, who developed “polyvagal theory,” says diaphragmatic breathing stimulates the vagus nerve, which triggers the body’s relaxation response.
Anxiety Feels Terrible, But it Has an Upside. Here's How to Make it Work in Your Favor | Juli Fraga | October 28, 2021 | TimeThe brain needs calories to operate, and chemical messengers travel back and forth between your gut and brain via the vagus nerve triggering all sorts of functions, from hormone production to cognition.
Stimulating the vagus nerve can also serve to quiet activity in the cortex, the outer rind of the brain where the vast majority of seizures begin.
How to Unlearn a Disease - Issue 103: Healthy Communication | Kelly Clancy | July 14, 2021 | NautilusHowever, Ma and team said, the vagus nerve might serve a similar function.
We Need New, Safer Ways to Treat Pain. Could Electroacupuncture Be One? | Shelly Fan | August 18, 2020 | Singularity HubLying behind the vein may be seen the vagus nerve (Fig. 248).
They affect the different parts of the vagus nerve in variable proportion.
The Action of Medicines in the System | Frederick William HeadlandAll those with which we are acquainted appear to direct their action to the branches of the vagus nerve.
The Action of Medicines in the System | Frederick William HeadlandSpecial Sedatives, which control the function of the vagus nerve, are especially notable as indirect Expectorants.
The Action of Medicines in the System | Frederick William HeadlandThe vein is external and somewhat superficial to the artery, and the vagus nerve lies behind.
Scientific definitions for vagus nerve
[ vā′gəs ]
Either of the tenth pair of cranial nerves that carries motor impulses from the brain to many major organs. The vagus nerve controls the muscles of the larynx (voice box), stimulates digestion, and regulates the heartbeat.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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