Chorda tympani

The chorda tympani ( "Surprise string ") is a branch of the seventh cranial nerve, the facial nerve. It has sensitive, sensory and parasympathetic fibers.

The chorda tympani separates the Fazialiskanal from the facial nerve and runs through the middle ear. It is sometimes visible through the tympanic membrane in the investigation with an otoscope as delicate strand, leading to their designation. She leaves the petrous pyramid through the fissure petrotympanic ( Glasersche column) or by the fissure sphenopetrosa, by the anterior tympanic artery and the runs. They then superimposed on the lingual nerve - a branch of the mandibular nerve of the trigeminal nerve - and uses this as a line structure. About this afferent fibers and efferent information is passed:

• The parasympathetic fibers stimulate the secretion of the salivary glands lower ( mandibular and sublingual gland ) and the tongue glands. These fibers are switched prior to entry into their target organs in the submandibular ganglion on postganglionic fibers.
• The chorda tympani passes sensory taste stimuli from the anterior two thirds of the tongue.

A unilateral damage to the chorda tympani leads to the loss of taste the same side of the front half of the tongue, bilateral damage to the loss of the sense of taste of the front half of the tongue. A ageusia is not the result, as the posterior third of the tongue is supplied by the glossopharyngeal nerve sensory.

Swell

• Cranial nerve
• Facial