Superior salivary nucleus

Superior salivary nucleus
File:Gray788.png Plan of the facial and intermediate nerves and their communication with other nerves. (Nucleus salivatorius visible at upper left.)
Details
Latin	nucleus salivatorius superior
Identifiers
MeSH	12583296
NeuroNames	hier-585
NeuroLex ID	Superior salivary nucleus
TA
TH	{{#property:P1694}}
TE	{{#property:P1693}}
FMA	{{#property:P1402}}
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy [[[d:|edit on Wikidata]]]

The Superior salivary nucleus (or superior salivatory nucleus) of the facial nerve is a visceromotor cranial nerve nucleus located in the pontine tegmentum.

Parasympathetic efferent fibers of the facial nerve (preganglionic fibers) arise according to some authors from the small cells of the facial nucleus, or according to others from a special nucleus of cells scattered in the reticular formation, dorso-medial to the facial nucleus. This is sometimes called the superior salivatory nucleus.

Some of the preganglionic fibers travel along the greater petrosal nerve through the pterygoid canal (where they join the postsynaptic fibers of the deep petrosal nerve and are called the Vidian nerve) and synapse in the pterygopalatine ganglion, whereupon the postganglionic, postsynaptic, efferent fibers travel to innervate the lacrimal gland and the mucosal glands of the nose, palate, and pharynx.

Preganglionic parasympathetic fibers are also distributed partly via the chorda tympani and lingual nerves to the submandibular ganglion, thence by postganglionic (vasodilator) fibers to the submandibular gland and sublingual gland.

The term "lacrimal nucleus" is sometimes used to refer to a portion of the superior salivary nucleus.

See also

• Inferior salivary nucleus
• Facial nerve
• Cranial nerves

Additional images

• 

  The cranial nerve nuclei schematically represented; dorsal view. Motor nuclei in red; sensory in blue.

• Gray697.png

  Nuclei of origin of cranial motor nerves schematically represented; lateral view.

References

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

External links

• Illustration and text: 15Salivatory at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Medical school
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