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Updated: Jul 21, 2025

Detection of G Protein-coupled Receptor Expression in Mouse Vagal Afferent Neurons using Multiplex In Situ Hybridization
Published on: September 20, 2021
Molecular cell types as functional units of the efferent vagus nerve
Tatiana C Coverdell1, Stephen B G Abbott2, John N Campbell3
1Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA.
Abstract:
The vagus nerve vitally connects the brain and body to coordinate digestive, cardiorespiratory, and immune functions. Its efferent neurons, which project their axons from the brainstem to the viscera, are thought to comprise "functional units" - neuron populations dedicated to the control of specific vagal reflexes or organ functions. Previous research indicates that these functional units differ from one another anatomically, neurochemically, and physiologically but have yet to define their identity in an experimentally tractable way. However, recent work with genetic technology and single-cell genomics suggests that genetically distinct subtypes of neurons may be the functional units of the efferent vagus. Here we review how these approaches are revealing the organizational principles of the efferent vagus in unprecedented detail.
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