Glossopharyngeal Nerve Sensory — FRCA Primary MCQ

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ModerateAnatomyGlossopharyngeal Nerve SensoryFRCA Primary

During topicalisation of the upper airway for awake tracheal intubation, blockade of the glossopharyngeal nerve would most directly reduce both touch sensation and taste from which region?

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Correct answer: E — Posterior one-third of the tongue

The correct answer is E. The glossopharyngeal nerve carries both general sensation and taste from the posterior one-third of the tongue. It also supplies sensation to the oropharynx and forms the principal afferent limb of the gag reflex; its motor component supplies stylopharyngeus, and its parasympathetic fibres provide secretomotor innervation to the parotid gland. General sensation from the anterior two-thirds of the tongue is carried by the lingual nerve (V3), whereas taste there is carried mainly by the chorda tympani (VII). Palatal sensation is predominantly via V2. Sensation above the vocal folds is conveyed by the internal laryngeal nerve, and sensation below them by the recurrent laryngeal nerve; both are branches of the vagus nerve.

Reference: PubMed. Otalgia, section on cranial nerve innervation, updated 2023. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31751020/