Tympanic nerve
branch of the glossopharyngeal nerve found near the ear
The tympanic nerve (Jacobson's nerve) is a branch of the glossopharyngeal nerve passing through the petrous part of the temporal bone to reach the middle ear. It provides sensory innervation for the middle ear, the Eustachian tube, the parotid gland, and mastoid cells. It also carries parasympathetic fibers destined for the parotid gland.
Structure
The tympanic nerve contains sensory axons to the middle ear (including the internal surface of the tympanic membrane) whose cell bodies are lodged in the superior ganglion of the glossopharyngeal nerve.
It also contains parasympathetic axons which continue as the lesser petrosal nerve to the otic ganglion, which itself gives off postganglionic parasympathetic neurons.
Origin
The tympanic nerve arises from the inferior ganglion of the glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX) in the jugular fossa.
Course
It passes through the petrous part of the temporal bone within the tympanic canaliculus that is situated within the bony ridge separating the carotid canal and the jugular foramen to reach the middle ear.
In the tympanic cavity of the middle ear, it ramifies upon the promontory of tympanic cavity to form the tympanic plexus.
Distribution
Sensory
The tympanic nerve provides sensation to the middle ear (tympanic cavity). This includes the internal surface of the tympanic membrane.
The public source identifies “Tympanic nerve” as branch of the glossopharyngeal nerve found near the ear. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Tympanic, nerve and branch.
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This entry incorporates text from “Tympanic nerve” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.