Facial nerve (7th cranial nerve)

Functional component Nuclei Supply

Special visceral efferent (SVE)
General visceral efferent
(GVE)
General visceral afferent
(GVA)
Motor nucleus
Superior salivatory nucleus,
lacrimatory nucleus
Nucleus of tractus solitarius
Facial muscles, stapedius muscle,
auricularis, occipitalis muscle,
intrinsic muscles of back of ear,
stylohyoid, posterior belly of
digastric
Submandibular, sublingual and
lacrimal gland, glands of nose,
palate and pharynx
Afferent impulses of all glands
described above

Special visceral afferent (SVA)
General somatic afferent
(GSA)
Nucleus of tractus solitarius Taste sensation from palate,
anterior 2/3rd of tongue except
vallate papillae
- Skin of ear

Course:
Extra-cranial course:

It emerges from the stylomastoid foramen and gives a branch posterior auricular nerve, nerve
to digastric and stylohyoid. Then, the main trunk runs anteriorly and is engulfed by the parotid
gland. In this gland, it forms parotid plexus which give rise to five terminal branches; temporal,
zygomatic, buccal, marginal mandibular and cervical.

Branches Distribution

Posterior auricular Auricularis posterior and occipitalis part of

occipitofrontalis muscle
Nerve to digastric Posterior belly of digastric
Nerve to stylohyoid Stylohyoid muscle

Temporal branch Auricularis superior & anterior, frontal belly of

occipitofrontalis muscle and superior part of
orbicularis oculi
Zygomatic branch Inferior part of orbicularis oculi and muscles
just inferior to orbit
Buccal branch Buccinators & muscles of upper lip (upper part
of orbicularis oris and inferior fibers of levator
labii superioris )
Marginal mandibular branch Risorius, muscles of lower lip (lower part of
orbicularis oris) and chin muscles
Cervical branch Platysma