Table 3.

Effect of nerve stimulation on esophageal motility

	Location in Esophagus
	E1-M	E4	E7	E10
X to esophagus	0/6	5/6	6/6	6/6
SLN to esophagus	0/3	0/3	0/3	0/3
PEN to esophagus	3/3	3/3	1/3	0/3
SLN to brain	5/5	5/5	0/5	0/5
RLNp to brain	0/7	0/7	0/7	0/7

Values represent numbers of animals in which a motility response was observed divided by numbers of animals tested at each esophageal location and each nerve stimulated. Locations of manometric responses were 1 (E1-M), 4 (E4), 7 (E7), and 10 (E10) cm from the CP. The vagus nerve (X) and pharyngoesophageal nerve (PEN) are motor nerves for the esophagus, the superior laryngeal nerve (SLN) is not. Therefore, since the RLNp is a branch of the SLN and the SLN provides no motor innervation to the esophagus, transection of the RLNp cannot reduce or eliminate motor innervation to the esophagus. Thus effects of transection of the RLNp (see Table 2) must be due to elimination of esophageal afferent information. Also, SLN, but not RLNp, stimulation to the brain activated esophageal peristalsis, before activating the pharyngeal phase of swallowing, in the proximal cervical esophagus. Therefore, afferent stimulation of the SLN can activate the cervical component of the esophageal phase of swallowing independent of the pharyngeal phase.