Overview

• The Vagus nerve is also known as ‘Cranial nerve X’ or pneumogastric nerve
• It is the longest nerve and is the only one to extend beyond the neck
• ‘Vagus’ is Latin for wanderer. The nerve wonders from the base of the brain, down next to the carotid artery, down next to the heart and when it reaches the abdomen, it passes through some of the organs
• As with all cranial nerves, there is a left and right branch
• 80% of the fibres that it contains are afferent sensory fibres
• It carries information to the brain from the neck, thorax and abdomen
• The vagus nerve is important for many factors that contribute to functional homeostasis e.g. heart rate and blood pressure