What body functions / organs are influenced by the vagus nerve?
The afferent fibers are linked to inflammation, satiety (hunger), satiation (fullness), energy metabolism. The efferent nerves are linked to the secretion of gastric and digestive enzymes (Breit et al., 2018). The vagus nerve regulates internal organ functions, including: (Pavlov and Tracey, 2012; Breit et al., 2018; Browning et al., 2017; Yuan and Silberstein, 2016:
- Metabolic regulation
- Appetite
- Digestion
- Gastrointestinal mobility and secretion
- Immune system responses
- Heart rate
- Respiratory rate
- Vasomotor activity
- Reflex actions (coughing, sneezing, swallowing, vomiting)
- Muscle contraction
- Mood
- Lymphatic cell contractions
- Pancreatic endocrine and exocrine secretions
- Hepatic Glucose production
- Inflammation
- Pain regulation
- Blood pressure
KNOWLEDGE HUB
The Byond Healthcare knowledge hub shares expert content about the vagus nerve and the benefits of vagus nerve stimulation, with a specific focus on non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation, with individuals, healthcare providers and medical representatives.