The submandibular ganglion (or submaxillary ganglion in older texts) is part of the human
autonomic nervous system. It is one of four
parasympathetic ganglia of the head and neck. (The others are the
otic ganglion,
pterygopalatine ganglion, and
ciliary ganglion).
Location and relations
The submandibular ganglion is small and
fusiform in shape. It is situated above the deep portion of the
submandibular gland, on the
hyoglossus muscle
The hyoglossus, thin and quadrilateral, arises from the side of the body and from the whole length of the greater cornu of the hyoid bone, and passes almost vertically upward to enter the side of the tongue, between the styloglossus and the infe ...
, near the posterior border of the
mylohyoid muscle.
The ganglion 'hangs' by two nerve filaments from the lower border of the
lingual nerve (itself a branch of the
mandibular nerve, CN V
3). It is suspended from the lingual nerve by two filaments, one anterior and one posterior. Through the posterior of these it receives a branch from the
chorda tympani nerve which runs in the sheath of the lingual nerve.
Fibers
Like other parasympathetic ganglia of the head and neck, the submandibular ganglion is the site of synapse for parasympathetic fibers and carries other types of nerve fiber that do not synapse in the ganglion. In summary, the fibers carried in the ganglion are:
*Sympathetic fibers from the
external carotid plexus, via 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 ta ...
and its branches. These do not synapse in this ganglion.
*
Preganglionic parasympathetic fibers from the
superior salivatory nucleus
The salivatory nuclei are the superior salivatory nucleus, and the inferior salivatory nucleus that innervate the salivary glands. They are located in the pontine tegmentum in the brainstem. They both are examples of cranial nerve nuclei.
The ...
of the
Pons
The pons (from Latin , "bridge") is part of the brainstem that in humans and other bipeds lies inferior to the midbrain, superior to the medulla oblongata and anterior to the cerebellum.
The pons is also called the pons Varolii ("bridge of ...
, via the
chorda tympani and
lingual nerve, which synapse at this ganglion.
*
Postganglionic parasympathetic fibers to the
oral mucosa
The oral mucosa is the mucous membrane lining the inside of the mouth. It comprises stratified squamous epithelium, termed "oral epithelium", and an underlying connective tissue termed '' lamina propria''. The oral cavity has sometimes been des ...
and the
submandibular and
sublingual salivary glands. They are secretomotor to these glands. Some of the postganglionic fibers reach the sublingual gland after they re-enter the
lingual nerve.
Additional images
File:Gray782.png, Mandibular division of trifacial nerve, seen from the middle line.
File:Gray839.png, Diagram of efferent sympathetic nervous system.
References
External links
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* (, )
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{{Authority control
Autonomic ganglia of the head and neck
Mandibular nerve
Parasympathetic ganglia