Viscerotopic organization of the vagus

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Abstract
The represetation in the vagal rootlets of visceral efferent fibers to the heart and to the smooth muscle of the bronchi, esophagus and duodenum has been investigated in cats whose vagus had undergone chronic selective rhizotomies.Cardiodecelerator fibers are well known to be the caudal rootlets and this was confirmed. Motor fibers to the esophagus and to the bronchi are present at all levels, while effernts to the duodenum are limited to the caudal fibers of the root complex.Because the vagal efferents emerge in the same plane as their somata, these data have been extrapolated to the medullary centers.