Gag reflex
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The gag reflex is a reflex contraction of the back of the throat, evoked by touching the soft palate, that prevents something from entering the throat except as part of normal swallowing. This helps prevent choking. It is also known as a pharyngeal reflex.
The afferent limb of the reflex is supplied by the glossopharyngeal nerve (cranial nerve IX), which inputs to the nucleus solitarius, and the efferent limb is supplied by the vagus nerve (cranial nerve X) from the nucleus ambiguus. Absence of the gag reflex is a symptom of a number of severe medical conditions, such as damage to the glossopharyngeal nerve, or the vagus nerve.
External links
it:Riflesso faringeo ko:구토반사 simple:Gag reflex
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Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
