Vagus nerve fiber

Vagus nerve fibers are the individual axons that make up the vagus nerves—the tenth cranial nerves—which are major components of the parasympathetic nervous system. The majority (~80–90%) are afferent sensory fibers carrying information from internal organs to the brain; about 10–20% are efferent motor and parasympathetic fibers controlling involuntary functions like heart rate, digestion, glandular secretion, and respiratory rate. These fibers play crucial roles in homeostasis by mediating “rest and digest” activities and modulating inflammation through neural pathways. Dysfunction or damage can contribute to gastrointestinal disorders such as IBS or IBD and is implicated in certain neuropsychiatric conditions. While not a druggable molecular target themselves—being anatomical structures rather than proteins or receptors—vagus nerve fibers can be therapeutically modulated using electrical devices like vagus nerve stimulators for conditions including epilepsy and depression[1][2][3][4][5].

Other names

Vagal nerve fiberVagus nerve fibersFibers of the vagus nerveCranial nerve X fibers (in context)