0:00

Let's take a look at the real origin of the vagus nerve.

0:04

Now, this is a little bit tough.

0:06

We've got three sensory components, and I'm going to

0:10

use my beloved blue color to demonstrate them.

0:13

We've got the dorsal sensory nucleus,

0:16

which is pretty small, sits right about here.

0:18

Then we've got the round nucleus that sits right next

0:21

to it, slightly posterior and lateral to it.

0:25

And that is also a sensory component.

0:27

And then we have the nucleus of the solitary tract,

0:30

which contributes to nine and ten.

0:32

That's going to be over here.

0:34

Now let's go for some motor contribution,

0:38

real origin structures.

0:40

And these you're familiar with from

0:42

the glossopharyngeal nerve.

0:43

One is the nucleus ambiguus, and it contributes,

0:46

actually, it's a little more posterior right about here.

0:49

Do a little erasing right there.

0:51

And then we've got, posterior to that,

0:54

and a little more medial,

0:55

right under the fourth ventricle is

0:58

the inferior salivary nucleus.

1:00

And the inferior salivary nucleus actually travels just

1:04

mesial or medial to it

1:06

is the spinal nucleus of the vagus nerve,

1:09

which I'm just going to put as a little blip

1:10

with another little red dot next to it.

1:13

So that is the real origin of the vagus nerve.

1:16

Now, besides giving some output to various organs,

1:18

the vagus nerve comprises between

1:20

80 and 90% of afferent nerves,

1:23

mostly conveying sensory information about the state

1:27

of the body's organs to the central nervous system.

1:30

The real origin of the vagus nerve, rather complex,

1:34

giving rise to the actual apparent

1:36

origin of the vagus nerve,

1:37

which has an anterolateral course and then reaches a space

1:41

between the carotid artery and the jugular vein.

Nuclei of the Vagus Nerve

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