Inferior ganglion of glossopharyngeal nerve

Inferior ganglion of glossopharyngeal nerve

Plan of upper portions of glossopharyngeal, vagus, and accessory nerves. (Petrous ganglion visible near center.)
Details
From glossopharyngeal nerve
Identifiers
Latin Ganglion inferius nervi glossopharyngei, ganglion petrosum
Dorlands
/Elsevier		 g_02/12384571
TA A14.2.01.137
FMA 53475

Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy

The inferior ganglion of the glossopharyngeal nerve (petrous ganglion) is larger than the superior ganglion and is situated in a depression in the lower border of the petrous portion of the temporal bone which is named fossula petrosa.

It contains the bodies of general somatic sensory neurons (GSA fibers) and general visceral sensory neurons (GVA fibers) that innervate the pharynx, tonsils, tongue, middle ear, auditory tube and the ear canal. It also contains the neurons that innervate the carotid sinus baroreceptors (which is a type of mechanoreceptors) and carotid body (chemoreceptors) through the Hering's nerve and the rami glomi carotici respectively. Rr. glomi carotici are the branches of vagus nerve but the origin of these fibers is glossopharyngeal nerve.

This ganglion also plays a role in taste as it contains cell bodies of special visceral sensory (SVA fibers) which innervate the posterior third of the tongue as well as some areas of the pharnyx. These taste fibers are branches of cranial nerves IX and X.

See also

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

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