Abstract
The route of fine fascicles of nerve fibers in the lingual nerve was clarified. Contemporary anatomy textbooks describe the lingual nerve as supplying sensory innervation to the mucous membrane of the presulcal part of the tongue, the floor and side wall of the mouth, and the mandibular gums. In addition to receiving the chorda tympani and a branch of the inferior alveolar nerve, the lingual nerve is connected to the submandibular ganglion by a few branches. It carries preganglionic fibers from the chorda tympani and postganglionic fibers from the submandibular ganglion to the submandibular and sublingual glands. The branch from the mylohyoid nerve is described as a sensory nerve. However, we observed that this branch was directly connected to the submandibular ganglion. Furthermore, the branch from the submandibular ganglion innervated thin membranous tissue that originated in the petrous part of the temporal bone and inserted into the lateral surface of the superior constrictor. These branches have not been described in the anatomy textbooks and literature. Therefore, we studied the morphological features of the lingual nerve and discovered the route of fine fascicles of nerve fibers in the lingual nerve. These findings will likely improve the neurological and physiological understanding of the function of the lingual nerve.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Eric ES, Standon DH (1989) Presence of nerve cell bodies in the lingual nerve in the third molar area. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 47:931–935
Gomez H (1961) The innervation of lingual salivary glands. Anat Rec 139:69–76
Gray H (1980) Gray’s anatomy, 36th edn. Churchill Livingstone, London
Hollinshead WH (1967) Textbook of anatomy. Harper & Row, New York
Lockhart RD, Hamilton GF, Fyfe FW (1959) Anatomy of the humanbody. Faber and Faber Limited, London
Quain J (1909) Quain’s elements of anatomy, and nbs; part 2, vol 3. Longmans, Green and Co., London
Rauber A (1898) Lehrbuch der anatomie des menschen: Bd. Lehr Von Den Gefässen, Nerven, Sinnesorganen Und Leitungsbahnen. Verlag von Arthur Georgi, Leipzig
Saigusa H, Tanuma K, Kazuo Y (2006) Nerve fiber analysis for the lingual nerve of the human adult subjects. Surg Radiol Anat 28:59–65
Sobotta J (1962) Atlas der anatomie des menschen 3 teil. Urban & Schwarzenberg, Berlin
Takezawa K, Kageyama I (2012) Newly identified thin membranous tissue in the deep infratemporal region. Anat Sci Int 87:136–140
Toldt H (1969) Anatomischer atlas, vol 3. Urban & Schwarzenberg, Berlin
Acknowledgments
We thank the members of the Department of Anatomy in the Nippon Dental University School of Life Dentistry at Niigata for their technical assistance and helpful comments.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Takezawa, K., Kageyama, I. Nerve fiber analysis on the morphology of the lingual nerve. Anat Sci Int 90, 298–302 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12565-014-0267-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12565-014-0267-5