The great auricular nerve is a cutaneous nerve of the head. It originates from the

cervical plexus The cervical plexus is a plexus of the anterior rami of the first four cervical spinal nerves which arise from C1 to C4 cervical segment in the neck. They are located laterally to the transverse processes between prevertebral muscles from the me ...

, with branches of

spinal nerve A spinal nerve is a mixed nerve, which carries motor, sensory, and autonomic signals between the spinal cord and the body. In the human body there are 31 pairs of spinal nerves, one on each side of the vertebral column. These are grouped into the ...

s C2 and C3. It provides sensory nerve supply to the skin over the

parotid gland The parotid gland is a major salivary gland in many animals. In humans, the two parotid glands are present on either side of the mouth and in front of both ears. They are the largest of the salivary glands. Each parotid is wrapped around the ma ...

and the

mastoid process The mastoid part of the temporal bone is the posterior (back) part of the temporal bone, one of the bones of the skull. Its rough surface gives attachment to various muscles (via tendons) and it has openings for blood vessels. From its borde ...

of the

temporal bone The temporal bones are situated at the sides and base of the skull, and lateral to the temporal lobes of the cerebral cortex. The temporal bones are overlaid by the sides of the head known as the temples, and house the structures of the ears. ...

, and surfaces of the

outer ear The outer ear, external ear, or auris externa is the external part of the ear, which consists of the auricle (also pinna) and the ear canal. It gathers sound energy and focuses it on the eardrum (tympanic membrane). Structure Auricle Th ...

. Pain resulting from parotitis is caused by an impingement on the great auricular nerve.

Structure

The great auricular nerve is the largest of the ascending branches of the

. It arises from the second and third cervical nerves. It winds around the posterior border of the

sternocleidomastoid muscle The sternocleidomastoid muscle is one of the largest and most superficial cervical muscles. The primary actions of the muscle are rotation of the head to the opposite side and flexion of the neck. The sternocleidomastoid is innervated by the access ...

, and, after perforating the

deep fascia Deep fascia (or investing fascia) is a fascia, a layer of dense connective tissue that can surround individual muscles and groups of muscles to separate into fascial compartments. This fibrous connective tissue interpenetrates and surrounds the ...

, ascends upon that muscle beneath the

platysma muscle The platysma muscle is a superficial muscle of the human neck that overlaps the sternocleidomastoid. It covers the anterior surface of the neck superficially. When it contracts, it produces a slight wrinkling of the neck, and a "bowstring" effect ...

to the

. Here, it divides into an anterior and a posterior branch.

Branches

* The anterior branch (ramus anterior; facial branch) is distributed to the skin of the face over the

. It communicates with the

facial nerve The facial nerve, also known as the seventh cranial nerve, cranial nerve VII, or simply CN VII, is a cranial nerve that emerges from the pons of the brainstem, controls the muscles of facial expression, and functions in the conveyance of taste ...

inside the parotid gland. * The posterior branch (ramus posterior; mastoid branch) supplies the skin over the

and on the back of the auricle, except at its upper part; a filament pierces the auricula to reach its lateral surface, where it is distributed to the lobule and lower part of the concha. The posterior branch communicates with the

smaller occipital The lesser occipital nerve or small occipital nerve is a cutaneous spinal nerve. It arises from second cervical (spinal) nerve (along with the greater occipital nerve). It innervates the scalp in the lateral area of the head posterior to the ...

, the

auricular branch of the vagus The auricular branch of the vagus nerve is often termed the Alderman's nerve or Arnold's nerve. The latter name is an eponym for Friedrich Arnold. The auricular branch of the vagus nerve supplies sensory innervation to the skin of the ear canal, ...

, and the

posterior auricular branch of the facial The posterior auricular nerve is a nerve of the head. It is a branch of the facial nerve (CN VII). It communicates with branches from the vagus nerve, the great auricular nerve, and the lesser occipital nerve. Its auricular branch supplies th ...

Function

The anterior branch of the great auricular nerve supplies the face over the

. The posterior branch of the great auricular nerve supplies the face over the

of the

, It also supplies parts of the auricle.

Clinical significance

The great auricular nerve may be damaged during surgery on the

, reducing sensation to the face. Pain resulting from parotitis is caused by an impingement on the great auricular nerve.

Additional images

File:Gray784.png, Dermatome distribution of the trigeminal nerve, also showing the sensory distribution of the great auricular, lesser occipital, and greater occipital nerves. File:Gray1210.png, Side of neck, showing chief surface markings.

References

External links

Diagram at aapmr.org
* - "Diagram of the cervical plexus." {{Authority control Nerves of the head and neck