What Innervates the larynx?
The vagus nerve is the large nerve that supplies the many branches of nerves that innervate the larynx. The superior laryngeal nerve, its external and internal branches, and the recurrent laryngeal nerve all have very distinct roles in motor and sensory innervation of the larynx.
What does the SLN innervate?
The SLN (external branch) innervates the cricothyroid muscle, which tenses and adducts the vocal cords. Injury to the RLN is of more consequence, as it innervates all of the intrinsic muscles of the larynx, except for the cricothyroid muscle which is innervated by the SLN.
What are the laryngeal muscles innervated by?
The laryngeal muscles receive innervation from two nerves, the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve and the recurrent laryngeal nerve.
What cranial nerve innervates the pharynx?
As stated above, the glossopharyngeal nerve provides motor innervation to the stylopharyngeus muscle, which is responsible for elevating the pharynx and larynx.
What is innervated by internal laryngeal nerve?
The internal laryngeal nerve is one of the two branches of the superior laryngeal nerve and provides sensory innervation of the laryngeal mucosa down to the level of the vocal cords (supraglottic larynx).
Which muscles are innervated by the recurrent laryngeal nerve?
The posterior cricoarytenoid muscles, the only muscles that can open the vocal folds, are innervated by this nerve. The recurrent laryngeal nerves are the nerves of the sixth pharyngeal arch.
What cranial nerve Innervates the cricothyroid?
The superior laryngeal nerve, a branch of the vagus nerve, innervates the cricothyroid muscle of the larynx. This muscle stretches, tenses, and adducts the vocal cord.
What is the cricothyroid?
cricothyroid. noun. Medical Definition of cricothyroid (Entry 2 of 2) : a triangular muscle of the larynx that is attached to the cricoid and thyroid cartilages and is the principal tensor of the vocal cords. — called also cricothyroid muscle.
What cranial nerve Innervates pharynx and larynx?
Where does the innervation of the larynx come from?
The recurrent laryngeal nerve provides sensory innervation to the subglottis and motor innervation to all intrinsic muscles of the larynx, except the cricothyroid muscle. Note, that the extrinsic muscles of larynx receive separate innervation than the intrinsic structures of the larynx, mostly from the facial nerve and the cervical spinal nerves.
What is the function of the superior laryngeal nerve?
Superior laryngeal nerve – the internal branch provides sensory innervation to the supraglottis, and the external branch provides motor innervation to the cricothyroid muscle. The vocal cords are responsible for the production of speech.
Is the laryngeal nerve a branch of the vagus nerve?
Laryngeal innervation. Definition. The recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) and the superior laryngeal nerve (SLN) are branches of the vagus nerve (CN X). Injury to them may occur during thyroid surgeries.
How are the muscles of the larynx controlled?
Their movement is controlled by the intrinsic muscles of the larynx – the majority of which are innervated by the recurrent laryngeal nerve (an exception is the cricothyroid muscle; innervated by the external laryngeal nerve). Due to its long course, the recurrent laryngeal nerve is susceptible to damage. Causes of RLN palsy include: