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. 2021 Mar 22;15:650971. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2021.650971

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Copyright © 2021 Bonaz, Sinniger and Pellissier.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

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Different pathways of the anti-inflammatory properties of the vagus nerve: (1) through activation of the HPA axis via vagal afferents and through vago-parasympathetic efferents (red), (2) through sympathetic efferents (blue) arising from thoraco-lumbar spinal preganglionic neurons through the vago-sympathetic pathway where vagal afferents activate central descending pathways (e.g., LC, A5, C1, PVH) targeting spinal pre-ganglionic neurons. Targeting the VN for its anti-inflammatory properties (pink) in chronic inflammatory diseases (orange) such as inflammatory bowel diseases appears as potentially effective therapeutics. Adapted from Bonaz et al. (2017a). A5, A5 noradrenergic group (in the brainstem); ACh, acetylcholine; C1, C1 adrenergic group (in the brainstem); CAN, central autonomic network; CCK, cholecystokinin; DMNV, dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve; EPI, epinephrine; HPA, hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal; IBD, inflammatory bowel diseases; LC, locus coeruleus; NE, norepinephrine; NTS, nucleus tractus solitarius; PVH, paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus; TNFα, tumor necrosis factor-alpha; α7nAChR, alpha7nicotinic acetylcholine receptor.