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Nucleus (dorsal motor of vagus)

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

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The dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve is a group of cell bodies localised to the medulla within the brainstem. The nucleus lies dorsally between the medial hypoglossal nucleus and the lateral nucleus of tractus solitarius.

It supplies general visceral parasympathetic motor fibres via the vagus nerve to:

  • cardiac muscle in the following branches:
    • superior cardiac nerve
    • inferior cardiac nerve
    • cardiac branch of recurrent laryngeal nerve
  • smooth muscle of the gastrointestinal tract

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