The gastrointestinal tract has its own “brain,” the enteric nervous system or ENS, that
executes routine housekeeping functions of digestion. The dorsal vagal complex in the …

Highlights• The vagus nerve is a crucial link between gut signals and the brain regulating
various functions such as energy homeostasis, digestion, immune responses, reward …

Vagovagal reflex control circuits in the dorsal vagal complex of the brain stem provide
overall coordination of gastric, small intestinal, and pancreatic digestive functions. The …

Given the crucial role of the gastrointestinal tract and associated organs in handling nutrient
assimilation and metabolism, it has long been known that its communication with the brain is …

Vago-vagal reflex circuits modulate digestive functions from the oral cavity to the transverse
colon. Previous articles in this series have described events at the level of the sensory …

Vago-vagal reflex control circuits in the dorsal vagal complex of the brainstem provide
overall coordination over digestive functions of the stomach, small intestine and pancreas …

The regulation of energy balance requires the complex integration of homeostatic and
hedonic pathways, but sensory inputs from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract are increasingly …

▪ Abstract Brainstem parasympathetic circuits that modulate digestive functions of the
stomach are comprised of afferent vagal fibers, neurons of the nucleus tractus solitarius …

Background: Interactions between brain and gut have been suspected for centuries but our
understanding of the neural centers and neurohormonal links that establish bidirectional …

Meals are the functional units of food intake in humans and mammals, and physiologic
approaches to understanding the controls of meal size have demonstrated that the presence …