phrenic nerve
anatomy
Quick Summary
The phrenic nerve is one of four nerves that supply the muscles of respiration. It is part of the peripheral nervous system, which relays sensory and motor impulses between the central nervous system and the rest of the body.12
The phrenic nerves originate from the cervical levels of the spinal cord (C3, C4, and C5) and carry sensory information from the pleura of the lungs and the pericardium of the heart. They also transmit motor impulses to the diaphragm, the primary muscle responsible for breathing.2
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