Lingual nerve

Infobox Nerve
Name = PAGENAME
Latin = nervus lingualis
GraySubject = 200
GrayPage = 895

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Caption = Distribution of the maxillary and mandibular nerves, and the submaxillary ganglion.

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Caption2 = The mouth cavity. The apex of the tongue is turned upward, and on the right side a superficial dissection of its under surface has been made.
Innervates = tongue
BranchFrom = mandibular nerve
BranchTo =
MeshName = Lingual+Nerve
MeshNumber = A08.800.800.120.760.500.450
MeshName =
MeshNumber =
DorlandsPre = n_05
DorlandsSuf = 12566098
The lingual nerve is a branch of the mandibular nerve (CN V₃), itself a branch of the trigeminal nerve,which supplies sensory innervation to the tongue. It also caries fibres from the facial nerve, which return taste information from the anterior two thirds of the tongue.

Function

The lingual nerve supplies sensory innervation to the mucous membrane of the anterior two-thirds of the tongue.

It also carries nerve fibers that do not originate from the trigeminal nerve, including taste sensation to the anterior part of the tongue as well as parasympathetic and sympathetic fibers.

The submandibular ganglion is suspended by two nerve filaments from the lingual nerve.

Path

The lingual nerve lies at first beneath the lateral pterygoid muscle, medial to and in front of the inferior alveolar nerve, and is occasionally joined to this nerve by a branch which may cross the internal maxillary artery.

The chorda tympani (a branch of the facial nerve, CN VII) joins it at an acute angle here, carrying taste fibers from the anterior two thirds of the tongue and parasympathetic fibers to the submandibular ganglion.

The nerve then passes between the medial pterygoid muscle and the ramus of the mandible, and crosses obliquely to the side of the tongue over the Constrictor pharyngis superior and Styloglossus, and then between the Hyoglossus and deep part of the submandibular gland; it finally runs across the duct of the submandibular gland, and along the tongue to its tip becoming the sublingual nerve, lying immediately beneath the mucous membrane.

ee also

* Lingual branches of hypoglossal nerve

=Additional

References

External links

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* (NormanAnatomyFig|mandibularnerve)
* (NormanAnatomyFig|V)
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