Nerve Pathways

Front 1

parotid secretomotor innervation

Back 1

provided by the glossopharyngeal nerve IX

-it gives off its tympanic branch which enters the middle ear cavity
-this ramifies on the on the medial wall of the cavity
-it then reforms as the lesser petrosal nerver which exits through the roof of the middle ear cavity


- the lesser petrosal nerve enters the cranial cavity

it runs anteromedially then leaves the cranialcavity through the formane ovale

-the nerve fibres then enter the otic ganglion, where they synapse.

- post ganglionic fibres pass into the auriculo temporal nerve (a branch of the trigeminal nerve cn V)

- fibres run along the auriculo temporal nerve to the gland, although they are in a branch of the trigeminal nerve, they are still glossopharyngeal nerve fibres

Front 2

submandibular parasympathetic secretomotor innervation

Back 2

- before the motor branches to the face emerge, the facial nerve gives off a branch called the chordae tympani, this happens inside the temporal bone

- the chordae tympani carries the parasympathetic preganglionic nerve fibres through an area that lies medial to the mandible (the infra temporal fossae)

- ct joins the lingual nerve ( a branch of the trigeminal nerve) and the parasympathetic fibres of vII run in this to the submandibular ganglion,

-fibres synapse at the ganglion

- post ganglionic fibres pass directly to the submandibular gland



(the lingual nerve itself is entirely sensory the secretomotor fibres it carries are facial nerve fibres)

Front 3

sublingual gland secretomotor innervation

Back 3

exactly the same up until the submandibular ganglion, as obviously the post ganglionic routes differ, some post ganglininc fibres pass directly into the gland whilst others may pass back into the lingual nerve which then conveys them to the gland

Front 4

parasympathetic secretomotor innervation of the palatine salivary glands

Back 4

provided by the facial nerve which is cn 7,

- the greater petrosal nerve leaves the facial nerve in the temporal bone (like the chordae tympani) ,

- it enters the cranial cavity and then travels forward into the canal (pterygoid canall) in another bone called the sphenoid bone


- it emerges from this canal into a space located behind the maxilla the, pterygopalatine fossae,


- the nerve of the pterygoid canal, enters the pterygopalatine ganglion, where the pre ganglionic fibres synapse.

- post ganglionic fibres pass into the hard and soft pallates throught the palatine nerves.