gag reflex [ME, gaggen, to strangle; L, reflectere, to bend back] , a normal neural reflex elicited by touching the soft palate or posterior pharynx, in which the responses are symmetric elevation of the palate, retraction of the tongue, and contraction of the pharyngeal muscles. The reflex is used as a test of the integrity of the vagus and glossopharyngeal nerves. Also called pharyngeal reflex.
