The nodose ganglion is cylindrical in form, of a reddish color, and 2.5 cm (0.984251968503937 in) in length. It is located in the height of the transverse process of the first cervical vertebra

Atlas (anatomy)

In anatomy, the atlas is the most superior cervical vertebra of the spine.It is named for the Atlas of Greek mythology, because it supports the globe of the head....

 (atlas).

Passing through it is the cranial portion of the accessory nerve

Accessory nerve

In anatomy, the accessory nerve is a nerve that controls specific muscles of the shoulder and neck. As part of it was formerly believed to originate in the brain, it is considered a cranial nerve...

, which blends with the vagus below the ganglion

Ganglion

In anatomy, a ganglion is a biological tissue mass, most commonly a mass of nerve cell bodies. Cells found in a ganglion are called ganglion cells, though this term is also sometimes used to refer specifically to retinal ganglion cells....

.

As opposed to the jugular ganglion

Jugular ganglion

The vagus presents a well-marked ganglionic enlargement, which is called the superior ganglion of the vagus nerve. It contains afferent somatosensory neuronal cell bodies that provide sensory information from the external auditory meatus , cranial meninges , and the external surface of the tympanic...

 of the vagus nerve, the inferior or nodose ganglion is larger.

It is chiefly visceral afferent

Visceral afferent

Visceral afferent can refer to:* General visceral afferent fibers* Special visceral afferent...

 in function concerning sensation of heart

Heart

The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...

, larynx

Larynx

The larynx , commonly called the voice box, is an organ in the neck of amphibians, reptiles and mammals involved in breathing, sound production, and protecting the trachea against food aspiration. It manipulates pitch and volume...

, lungs and alimentary tract from the pharynx

Pharynx

The human pharynx is the part of the throat situated immediately posterior to the mouth and nasal cavity, and anterior to the esophagus and larynx. The human pharynx is conventionally divided into three sections: the nasopharynx , the oropharynx , and the laryngopharynx...

 to the transverse colon

Transverse colon

The transverse colon, the longest and most movable part of the colon, passes with a downward convexity from the right hypochondrium region across the abdomen, opposite the confines of the epigastric and umbilical zones, into the left hypochondrium region, where it curves sharply on itself beneath...

. These visceral afferents synapse centrally in the nucleus solitarius.

Both ganglia are traversed by parasympathetic, and perhaps some sympathetic

Sympathetic nervous system

The sympathetic nervous system is one of the three parts of the autonomic nervous system, along with the enteric and parasympathetic systems. Its general action is to mobilize the body's nervous system fight-or-flight response...

 fibres.

Preganglionic motor fibres (ganglionic branches) from the dorsal vagal nucleus and the special visceral efferents from the nucleus ambiguus

Nucleus ambiguus

The nucleus ambiguus is a region of histologically disparate cells located just dorsal to the inferior olivary nucleus in the lateral portion of the upper medulla...

, which descend to the inferior vagal ganglion form a band skirting the ganglion

Ganglion

In anatomy, a ganglion is a biological tissue mass, most commonly a mass of nerve cell bodies. Cells found in a ganglion are called ganglion cells, though this term is also sometimes used to refer specifically to retinal ganglion cells....

.