Vomiting Center

© 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. The term 'vomiting center' corresponds to groups of loosely organized neurons throughout the caudal hindbrain that when activated in sequence by a 'central pattern generator' (CPG), leads to generation of the act of vomiting with associated nausea. Vomiting, a biological defense system against food poisoning is also provoked by numerous drugs and diseases. Four sensory pathways stimulate nausea and vomiting: vestibular, area postrema, forebrain, and vagal afferents. These inputs converge into the nucleus tractus solitarius, the neurons of which project to the hindbrain CPG, where coordination of the sequence of behaviors and physiological changes that characterize nausea and vomiting occurs.