Internal pterygoid nerve
Encyclopedia
The medial pterygoid nerve (or internal pterygoid nerve) is a branch of the mandibular nerve
Mandibular nerve
The mandibular nerve is the largest of the three branches of the trigeminal nerve.-Roots:It is made up of two roots:* a large sensory root proceeding from the inferior angle of the trigeminal ganglion....

 that innervates the medial pterygoid muscle
Medial pterygoid muscle
The medial pterygoid , is a thick, quadrilateral muscle of mastication.The mandibular branch of the fifth cranial nerve, the trigeminal nerve, innervates the medial pterygoid muscle.-Origin and insertion:...

, tensor veli palatini and tensor tympani
Tensor tympani
The tensor tympani, the larger of the two muscles of the tympanic cavity, is contained in the bony canal above the osseous portion of the auditory tube...

.

Structure

The nerve to the medial pterygoid muscle
Medial pterygoid muscle
The medial pterygoid , is a thick, quadrilateral muscle of mastication.The mandibular branch of the fifth cranial nerve, the trigeminal nerve, innervates the medial pterygoid muscle.-Origin and insertion:...

 is a slender branch of the mandibular nerve
Mandibular nerve
The mandibular nerve is the largest of the three branches of the trigeminal nerve.-Roots:It is made up of two roots:* a large sensory root proceeding from the inferior angle of the trigeminal ganglion....

 which enters the deep surface of the muscle; it gives off one or two filaments to the otic ganglion
Otic ganglion
The otic ganglion is a small, oval shaped, flattened parasympathetic ganglion of a reddish-gray color, located immediately below the foramen ovale in the infratemporal fossa. It gives innervation to the parotid gland for salivation....

.

The nerve provides physical support for the otic ganglion
Otic ganglion
The otic ganglion is a small, oval shaped, flattened parasympathetic ganglion of a reddish-gray color, located immediately below the foramen ovale in the infratemporal fossa. It gives innervation to the parotid gland for salivation....

, but is neurologically distinct.

Branches

Additionally, the tensor veli palatini is innervated by the nerve to tensor veli palatini
Nerve to tensor veli palatini
The nerve to tensor veli palatini is a small nerve which is unique in that it is the only branch of the mandibular nerve providing motor innervation to the palate....

, a branch of the nerve to the medial pterygoid. Of the five paired skeletal muscles to the soft palate, tensor veli palati is the only muscle not innervated by the pharyngeal plexus
Pharyngeal plexus
Pharyngeal plexus can refer to:* Pharyngeal plexus of vagus nerve* Pharyngeal plexus...

.
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