This high-yield revision note on Nerve Supply of Tongue - Taste + General Sensation Chart covers everything examiners typically test under Oral Anatomy & Histology — structured as quick-reference tables, clinical correlations, mnemonics and previous-year-style high-yield points. It's built for last-mile revision before NEET MDS, INI-CET MDS and INBDE, so you can scan it in minutes instead of re-reading a whole textbook chapter.
| Tongue Region | General Sensation | Taste Sensation |
|---|---|---|
| Anterior 2/3 (excluding circumvallate papillae) | Lingual nerve (branch of Mandibular nerve, V3) | Chorda tympani (branch of Facial nerve, VII) - travels WITH the lingual nerve distally but is functionally/embryologically distinct from V3 |
| Posterior 1/3 (including circumvallate papillae) | Glossopharyngeal nerve (IX) | Glossopharyngeal nerve (IX) - same nerve carries BOTH general sensation and taste here (unlike the anterior 2/3, where two different nerves split the job) |
| Extreme posterior/root (near epiglottis, valleculae) | Internal laryngeal branch of Vagus nerve (X) | Vagus nerve (X) |
| Motor supply (all intrinsic + extrinsic muscles except palatoglossus) | Hypoglossal nerve (XII) | |
| Palatoglossus (the one exception) | Vagus (X) via the pharyngeal plexus / cranial root of accessory (XI) | |
Central taste pathway: All three taste-carrying nerves (VII, IX, X) converge on the rostral part of the nucleus of the tractus solitarius (NTS) in the medulla → second-order fibers ascend (mostly uncrossed) via the central tegmental tract → thalamus (ventral posteromedial/VPM nucleus) → primary gustatory cortex (parietal operculum / anterior insula).
| Clinical Correlation | Nerve Involved | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd molar surgery injury | Lingual nerve | Loss of general sensation (NOT taste) over anterior 2/3 tongue, since taste travels separately via chorda tympani |
| Chorda tympani injury (e.g., middle ear surgery) | Chorda tympani (VII) | Loss of taste (NOT general sensation) over anterior 2/3 tongue, plus reduced submandibular/sublingual salivary secretion |
| Tonsillectomy injury | Glossopharyngeal (IX) | Loss of BOTH general sensation and taste over posterior 1/3 - since IX alone carries both modalities there |
| Unilateral hypoglossal (XII) nerve palsy | Hypoglossal (XII) | Tongue deviates TOWARD the side of the lesion on protrusion (genioglossus of the healthy side pushes it over) |
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