| Brain: Superior salivary nucleus | ||
|---|---|---|
| Plan of the facial and intermediate nerves and their communication with other nerves. (Nucleus salivatorius visible at upper left.) | ||
| Latin | nucleus salivatorius superior | |
| Gray's | subject #191 861 | |
| NeuroNames | hier-585 | |
| MeSH | n_11 | |
| NeuroLex ID | birnlex_1131 | |
The Superior salivary nucleus (or superior salivatory nucleus) of the facial nerve is a visceromotor cranial nerve nucleus located in the pontine tegmentum.
Parasympathetic efferent fibers of the facial nerve (preganglionic fibers) arise according to some authors from the small cells of the facial nucleus, or according to others from a special nucleus of cells scattered in the reticular formation, dorso-medial to the facial nucleus. This is sometimes called the superior salivatory nucleus.
These preganglionic fibers are distributed partly via the chorda tympani and lingual nerves to the submandibular ganglion, thence by postganglionic (vasodilator) fibers to the submandibular gland and sublingual gland.
Some of the preganglionic fibers travel along the greater petrosal nerve through the pterygoid canal (where they join the postsynaptic fibers of the deep petrosal nerve and are called the Vidian nerve) and synapse in the pterygopalatine ganglion, whereupon the postganglionic, postsynaptic, efferent fibers travel to innervate the lacrimal gland and the mucosal glands of the nose, palate, and pharynx.
The term "lacrimal nucleus" is sometimes used to refer to a portion of the superior salivary nucleus.[1]
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This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.
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