The Vital Vagus Nerve
Unlike the numerous details about the human body that are being discovered because of advanced technology and better research skills, the vagus nerve has been known for a mighty long time. But advanced technology and better research skills are revealing its complexity.
The vagus nerve is not the vaguest nerve, being the longest cranial nerve and connecting to a huge number of other nerves. It is used to regulate many important bodily functions. This work may be impeded by various conditions and factors.
.jpg) |
| Modified illustration of laryngeal and vagus nerves, WikiComm / derived by Jkwchui (CC BY-SA 3.0) |
When biblical creationists and the Intelligent Design folks point out that certain things of specified complexity defy evolution, angry atheopaths say things like, "Our series on 'Things That Creationists Think Refute Evolution But Really Don't', therefore GAWD" or some other bigoted misrepresentation. But they never show how it evolved, gradually, a bit at a time, over millions of years. How about that?
The vagus nerve is the longest and, by far, the most important cranial nerve in the body. The vagus nerve bundle of neural fibers begins at the brain stem and splits into two channels that run along either side of the neck. The two branches then rejoin at the heart before descending to the gut and most other organs. It is the main sensory superhighway that connects our brain to most of our vital organs (see Figure 1). It helps to regulate everything from the movement of food that passes through our intestines, to the steady beating of our heart. It controls certain reflex actions, including coughing, sneezing, swallowing, and vomiting. New research has revealed that it is even more complex than previously believed.The goal of present research is to create a detailed map of the roughly 160,000 nerve fibers along its path. The researchers have concluded that achieving this goal “will revolutionize medicine.”
If you have the nerve, read all of "Secrets of the Vagus Nerve Revealed."