Petrosal major nerve
The major petrosal nerve is a branch of the 7th cranial nerve ( facial nerve ), more precisely its intermediate part, which it leaves in the geniculate ganglion . It contains parasympathetic and sensory nerve fibers and is connected to the tympanic plexus via a communicating ramus .
The major petrosal nerve passes through the front of the petrous pyramid into the middle cranial fossa, where it runs in a sulcus named after the nerve to the foramen lacerum , through which it leaves the interior of the skull. At the outer base of the skull , it connects to sympathetic fibers that come from the nerve plexus of the internal carotid artery and are known as the deep petrosal nerve . The network of the two nerves then runs through the pterygoid canal of the sphenoid bone and is called the pterygoid nerve there . This nerve is the feeding branch for the pterygopalatine ganglion .
In the pterygopalatine ganglion, the preganglionic parasympathetic fibers are switched to postganglionic fibers and, together with the sympathetic fibers, mostly reach their successor organs using branches of the maxillary nerve . These are the lacrimal gland , the glands of the nasal mucous membrane ( glandulae nasales ), the palate and the epipharynx .
The sensory fibers reach the mucous membrane of the soft palate , where they innervate the taste buds that appear sparsely there .
literature
- Franz-Viktor Salomon: nervous system, systema nervosum . In: Franz-Viktor Salomon, Hans Geyer, Uwe Gille (Ed.): Anatomy for veterinary medicine. 2nd, revised and expanded edition. Enke, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-8304-1075-1 , pp. 464-577.
- Gerhard Aumüller : Anatomy (= dual series ). Thieme, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-13-136041-0 .