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Neurology 262 — at a Glance
| Course: | Neurology 262: Exploring the Vagus Nerve & the Autonomic Nervous System |
| Faculty: | Howard Benedikt, DC, DCBCN · Clinical Nutrition and Functional Medicine Faculty, CCEDseminars |
| Format: | On-demand online video with case walk-throughs and assessment · downloadable handouts · instant certificate |
| Pricing: | $20/hr · automatic 10% off at 6–9 hrs, 20% off at 10+ hrs in one order · no promo codes |
| Approval: | PACE Provider #34015544 · co-sponsored by Texas Chiropractic College · acceptance varies by state |
Board-approved · PACE Provider #34015544 · CE Broker auto-reporting for states served · Instant certificate
The vagus nerve is the reason a patient’s heart rate, digestion, immune signalling and mood keep turning out to be the same conversation. As the principal parasympathetic pathway it reaches nearly every system you might be asked about, which makes vagal tone one of the more useful things a practitioner can learn to assess.
This two-hour course, led by Dr. Howard Benedikt, explores the vagus nerve and the autonomic nervous system. It covers the anatomy of cranial nerve X and its role in the parasympathetic nervous system; how the vagus influences parasympathetic tone across the immune, nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems; the conditions and symptoms associated with low parasympathetic output; techniques for evaluating vagal function; and clinical approaches to enhancing vagal tone.
Choose Your Neurology Path — Three Lanes, One Curriculum
The Neurology series runs from what you can measure at the bedside, through the brain systems that explain the findings, to the structures a chiropractor treats, the developing nervous system, and the risks worth screening for. Courses 201–230 are built out here, within a larger clinical-neurology curriculum; each is two hours.
1 · Examination, Testing and Clinical Reasoning
What you measure and what it means — oximetry, vital signs, reflexes, sensory testing, outcome measures and the differential behind a collapse.
203: Pulse Oximetry in Chiropractic
208: Vital Signs for Chiropractors
210: Chiropractic Clinical Case Studies
211: Reflex Assessment in Chiropractic
213: Neurology Tests for Chiropractors
222: Somatosensory Examination Review
224: Outcome Assessments: Neurologic Perspective
235: Syncope
236: Accurate Sensory Testing & the Clinical Examination
256: Receptors and Subluxation
258: Dizziness — Current Updates and Literature Review
2 · Brain Systems, Cognition and Mood
The cortical, cerebellar and limbic files — pain and the CNS, the pyramidal system, frontal lobes and cerebellum, memory, mood, smell and what the brain is popularly believed to do.
202: Pain & the Central Nervous System
204: Clinical Aspects of the Pyramidal Man
205: Functional Neurology & Frontal Lobes
206: Functional Neurology & the Cerebellum
223: Myths of the Brain
228: The Neurophysiology of Happiness
229: Clinical Perspectives Surrounding Memory
233: Anxiety in America
237: The Nose Knows
238: The Science of Happiness
260: Memory — The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
3 · Spine, Posture and Craniocervical
Where neurology meets the structures a chiropractor treats — the cord, the vestibular system, the craniocervical junction, the cervical curve, sleep posture and the mechanics of the ribcage.
201: Chiropractic Myelopathy Management
207: Exploring the Vestibular System
209: Guzay’s Theorem & Craniocervical Neurology
225: Current Perspectives of Sleep Posture
231: Ribs and Breathing
234: The Cervical Lordosis
245: Arnold Chiari, Forward Head Posture & Low Spinal Tone
246: The Amazing Trapezius
248: NMS Implications of Low Axial Tone
255: Posture and Slump
4 · Pediatric and Developmental Neurology
The developing nervous system from birth through adolescence — early plasticity, developmental milestones, and concussion in children and teens.
212: Pediatric Concussion Management
217: The Concussed Teen and Return to Learn
221: Brain Rules for Babies
226: Pediatric Pearls (Ages 0–3)
227: The Vital Child (Ages 5–12)
241: Educating Boys and Girls
242: Think, Learn, Succeed
243: Pediatric Pearls from the Kids Summit
5 · Motor Control, Tone and Peripheral Nerve
The motor system from cortex to muscle — upper motor neuron anatomy and signs, tone and spasticity, movement disorders and peripheral nerve involvement.
215: Dopamine, Parkinson’s & Chiropractic
218: Chiropractic Perspectives on Tone
240: The Upper Motor Neuron
244: Can Weakness in My Eyes Affect My Neck and Back?
247: Time to Get a Grip
249: Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
250: Fun with Tunnel Syndromes
251: CIDP — Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy
252: Neck Pain, Eye Strain & the Optomotor Connection
257: Muscle Weakness — Lack of Use or Lack of Innervation?
259: Movement Disorders
263: The Mystery of the Valleix Phenomenon
6 · Autonomic, Vascular and Brain-Health Risk
The autonomic and vascular side of practice — sympathetic and vagal regulation, blood pressure, digestion, stroke risk, and the lifestyle factors that move long-term brain health. You are here: Neurology 262.
214: Depression and Exercise
216: Is Fitness Important to Health?
219: Cervicogenic Hypertension
220: Chiropractic Stroke Risk Assessment
230: Low Stomach Acid & the Burp Test
232: The IML — Structure, Function & Relevance
239: Dysautonomia
261: Concussion — What’s New on This Complex Topic
Every course in the series is 2 PACE-approved CE hours at $40, and the automatic bundle discounts apply across the whole lane.
What You'll Learn in Neurology 262
Review the anatomy of the vagus nerve and its role within the parasympathetic nervous system
Explain how vagal influence on parasympathetic tone reaches the immune, endocrine, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems
Recognise the conditions and symptoms associated with reduced parasympathetic output
Apply evaluation techniques and clinical approaches to enhancing vagal tone — exercises, breathing, mindfulness and nutrition
Your Neurology Faculty
Howard Benedikt, DC, DCBCN, instructor of this course. A diplomate of the Chiropractic Board of Clinical Nutrition and Clinical Nutrition and Functional Medicine Faculty at CCEDseminars, he teaches the autonomic, nutritional and functional-medicine strand of the curriculum — work that sits naturally alongside the vagus nerve and parasympathetic regulation covered in this course.
Monte Horne, DC,reviewer of this course. Founder and CE Program Director of CCEDseminars, a Designated Doctor for the Texas Department of Insurance and a peer reviewer and expert witness.
Full bios and the complete instructor roster: CCEDseminars faculty page.
Where Neurology CE Hours Count — State Rules Worth Knowing
Clinical neurology coursework is clinical subject matter — assessment, diagnosis and case management — which is exactly what several state boards ask for. In Iowa, these hours serve the 36-hour clinical case-management minimum; in Rhode Island, they address the 50-of-60 clinical requirement; and in Vermont — where practice-building coursework earns nothing — patient-care education like this counts fully under the clinical-focus rule.
Online-format allowances still vary by state — some accept every hour online, others cap distance learning or require in-person blocks. Check your state's guide in the full state directory before building your renewal plan.
Build Your Neurology Block
Every course in the Neurology series runs 2 hours at $40, so the automatic discounts do the bundling for you: 6–9 hours in one order earns 10% off, and 10 or more earns 20% off — courses 201–210 together are 20 hours, well past the 20% tier at roughly $320 instead of $400. The full Chiropractic Clinical Neurology (CCN) 201–224 bundle runs 48 hours if you are working toward the certification. 2 CE hours,$40 Browse Neurology Courses
Neurology 262 — Frequently Asked Questions
What does the vagus nerve actually control?
As cranial nerve X it is the principal parasympathetic pathway, and the course covers its anatomy first for that reason. Its influence reaches the immune, nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems — which is why vagal tone shows up in presentations that look unrelated to one another.
What is parasympathetic tone, and why does it matter?
It is the baseline level of parasympathetic activity, and the course devotes a section to how the vagus nerve influences it. The clinical relevance is that tone is not binary: a patient can be functioning with persistently low parasympathetic output and feel unwell in ways no single system explains.
What happens when parasympathetic output is low?
The course reviews the conditions and symptoms associated with reduced vagal output specifically — the far-reaching consequences of a tone imbalance. That section is the reason the course is useful diagnostically rather than only conceptually.
How do I evaluate the vagus nerve?
The course covers evaluation techniques for assessing vagal function, so that a suspicion can be tested rather than assumed. Being able to identify the issue is what makes the intervention section meaningful.
What can actually raise vagal tone?
Four approaches the course covers directly: specialised exercises, focused breathing techniques, mindfulness meditation, and targeted nutritional strategies. They are presented as clinical tools with evaluation attached, which is the right order — measure, intervene, re-measure.
State Approval and Licensing Reminder
Continuing education requirements — including online-hour caps and clinical-hour minimums — vary by jurisdiction. Review the online chiropractic CE guidelines page and contact CCEDseminars with questions about your specific licensing requirements before registering.
Ready to Enroll in Neurology 262?
One nerve, most of the systems your patients ask about. This course covers the anatomy, the evaluation and four ways to raise tone.
CCEDseminars · PACE Provider #34015544 · Reviewed by Monte Horne, DC · Last updated September 3, 2026 (CT)