Pharyngeal reflex 546108 215197307 2008-05-27T03:31:19Z Kotra 600804 added paragraph as per talk The '''pharyngeal reflex''' or '''gag reflex''' is a [[reflex]] contraction of the back of the throat,<ref name="urlMedical Neurosciences">{{cite web |url=http://www.neuroanatomy.wisc.edu/virtualbrain/BrainStem/09NA.html |title=Medical Neurosciences |format= |work= |accessdate=}}</ref> evoked by touching the [[soft palate]]<ref>"pharyngeal reflex, gag reflex." <u>WordNet 1.7.1</u>. Princeton University, 2001. <i>Answers.com</i> 22 Apr. 2008. http://www.answers.com/topic/pharyngeal-reflex-gag-reflex</ref>, that prevents something from entering the throat except as part of normal [[swallowing]]. This helps prevent [[choking]]. 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]], the [[vagus nerve]], or [[brain death]]. Swallowing unusually large objects or placing objects in the back of the mouth may cause pharyngeal reflex, and those who frequently experience the reflex will often train themselves to suppress it. In contrast, triggering the reflex is sometimes done intentionally to induce vomiting, for example by those who suffer from [[bulimia nervosa]]. ==References== <references/> ==External links== *[http://www.dentalfearcentral.org/gagging_dentist.html How to deal with an easily stimulated gag reflex] [[Category:Reflexes]] {{digestive-stub}} {{neuroscience-stub}} {{Reflex}} [[de:Würgreflex]] [[ko:구토 반사]] [[it:Riflesso faringeo]] [[simple:Gag reflex]]