chorda tympani

Origin

• a nerve given off from the facial nerve (CN VII) in the facial canal

Action

• the chorda tympani conveys taste sensation from the anterior 2/3 of the tongue & carries parasympathetic preganglionic fibers to the submandibular ganglion for innervation of the submandibular gland & sublingual gland (salivary glands)

Course

• it passes into the tympanic cavity, crosses over the tympanic membrane & handle of the malleus & then passes into the pterygotympanic fissure to join the lingual branch of the mandibular nerve in the infratemporal fossa.

More general terms

• peripheral nerve

Additional terms

• facial nerve (CN VII)
• lingual nerve
• malleus
• submandibular (submaxillary) ganglion
• tympanic membrane (eardrum)