facial nerve (CN VII)

Function

• Somatic & visceral motor; somatic & visceral sensory.

Afferents

Nucleus solitarius

• located in rostral pons lateral to the superior salivary nucleus
• cell bodies of primary sensory neurons in geniculate ganglion
• visceral sensory
• CN 7 fibers synapsing in the nucleus solitarius innervates the anterior 2/3 of tongue - taste
• nucleus solitarius is shared by CN 7, CN 9, CN 10

Sensory nucleus of CN 5

• the sensory nucleus of CN 5 actually obtains sensory input from CN 7, CN 9, & CN 10, but because of the dominant input from CN 5, retains it name
• fibers synapsing in the sensory nucleus of CN 5 innervates the external ear
• cell bodies of primary sensory neurons in geniculate ganglion

Efferents

Facial nucleus

• anterolaterally displaced in the pons
• fibers travel posteriorly, around the abducens nucleus (CN 6) then exit anterolaterally
• fibers originating in the facial nucleus innervate:
  • muscles of facial expression
  • stapedius

Superior salivary nucleus

• located medial to the nucleus solitarius in the rostral pons
• visceral motor nucleus
• fibers originating in the superior salivary nucleus innervate:
  • lacrimal gland, synapsing 1st in pterygopalatine ganglion
  • submaxillary gland, synapsing 1st in submandibular ganglion
  • submandibular gland, synapsing 1st in submandibular ganglion

Course

• courses superiorly from the lateral aspect of the rostral medulla to the internal acoustic meatus

Branches

• general somatic efferent
  • posterior auricular nerve
  • temporal branch of the facial nerve
  • zygomatic branch of the facial nerve
  • buccal branch of the facial nerve
  • mandibular branch of the facial nerve
  • cervical branch of the facial nerve
  • nerve to the posterior belly of the digastric
  • nerve to the stylohyoid
  • nerve to the stapedius
• general visceral efferent
  • greater petrosal nerve
    • nerve of the pterygoid canal
  • chorda tympani

More general terms

• cranial nerve

Additional terms

• chorda tympani
• facial nucleus
• greater petrosal nerve
• internal acoustic meatus
• lingual nerve
• nucleus solitarius
• superior salivary nucleus
• trigeminal sensory nucleus

Components

• posterior auricular nerve
• cervical branch of facial nerve (CN VII)
• mandibular branch of facial nerve (CN VII)
• buccal branch of facial nerve (CN VII)
• zygomatic branch of facial nerve (CN VII)
• temporal branch of facial nerve (CN VII)