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Nerve fiber analysis of the lingual branch of the glossopharyngeal nerve in human adult subjects

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Abstract

Purpose

Fibers of the glossopharyngeal part of the superior constrictor muscle are connected with fibers of the transverse lingual muscle, forming a ring of muscle at the base of the tongue. This group of muscles constrict the midpharyngeal cavity during retrusive movement of the tongue. The purpose of this study is to identify the contribution of the lingual branch of the glossopharyngeal nerve to the neuro-motor control of three muscles: the glossopharyngeal part of the superior pharyngeal constrictor muscle, the palatopharyngeal and the palatoglossus muscles.

Methods

Six en bloc samples (9 sides), including the tissue from the skull base to the hyoid bone were obtained from adult human cadavers. Nerve fiber of the lingual branch of the glossopharyngeal nerve (main root of the glossopharyngeal nerve) was examined by the use of a binocular stereomicroscope.

Results

We observed that, after branching to the stylopharyngeal muscle, the lingual branch of the glossopharyngeal nerve branched to the glossopharyngeal part of the superior pharyngeal constrictor muscle, the palatopharyngeal and the palatoglossus muscles before inserting into the space between the muscle layers of the superior and middle pharyngeal constrictors.

Conclusion

These neuromuscular arrangements may suggest the presence of specialized constrictive movements of the midpharygeal cavity at the level of the base of the tongue with the retrusive movement of the tongue. The simultaneous contraction of the palatopharyngeal and palatoglossus muscles on the pharyngeal stage of deglutition may aid in the passage of bolus from the oral cavity to the midpharyngeal cavity by increasing pharyngeal pressure.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to dedicate this manuscript to late Associate Professor Kumiko Tanuma, Department of Anatomy, Nippon Medical School. She conducted our research and directed the technique for nerve fiber analysis. And the authors appreciate a lot late Dr. Yoshikazu Yoshida for warm encouragement.

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Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

HS contributed to conception, design, data collection and analysis, writing the manuscript; KY contributed to the conception, data analysis, and supervise the manuscript; MS contributed conceptions and revise English style of the manuscript; and SN contributed to the conception and supervise the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hideto Saigusa.

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Ethical approval

All of this research was approved and conducted according to the institutional ethical committee guidelines of the Nippon Medical School.

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All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Saigusa, H., Yamashita, K., Saigusa, M. et al. Nerve fiber analysis of the lingual branch of the glossopharyngeal nerve in human adult subjects. Surg Radiol Anat 43, 243–250 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-020-02575-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-020-02575-8

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