Dorsal nucleus of vagus nerve

The dorsal nucleus of vagus nerve (or posterior nucleus of vagus nerve or dorsal vagal nucleus or nucleus dorsalis nervi vagi or nucleus posterior nervi vagi) is a cranial nerve nucleus of the vagus nerve (CN X) situated in the medulla oblongata of the brainstem ventral to the floor of the fourth ventricle. It contains nerve cell bodies of parasympathetic neurons of CN X that provide parasympathetic innervation to the gastrointestinal tract and lungs as well as other thoracic and abdominal organs. These functions include, among others, bronchoconstriction and gland secretion.

Cell bodies of pre-ganglionic parasympathetic neurons of CN X that innervate the heart meanwhile reside in the nucleus ambiguus, and additional cell bodies of the nucleus ambiguus give rise to the branchial efferent motor fibers of the vagus nerve (CN X) terminating in the laryngeal, and pharyngeal muscles, and musculus uvulae muscle.