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Branchial motor
Visceral motor
Visceral sensory
General sensory| Cranial Nerve X - Vagus | Page 8 of 24 |
Superior Laryngeal Nerve
The superior laryngeal nerve branches from the vagus nerve just below the pharyngeal nerve. The nerve descends in the neck adjacent to the pharynx and splits to form the internal and external laryngeal nerves.
The external laryngeal nerve supplies the inferior constrictor muscle before piercing it to supply the cricothyroid muscle which is involved in the controlling the movements of the vocal folds.
The internal laryngeal nerve pierces the thyrohyoid membrane and is a sensory nerve of the larynx.
Figure 10-8. Laryngeal nerve.
