Which cranial nerve is responsible for taste on the anterior two-thirds of the tongue?

Which cranial nerve is responsible for taste on the anterior two-thirds of the tongue?

• A. Glossopharyngeal nerve
• B. Vagus nerve
• C. Hypoglossal nerve
• D. Facial nerve

Answer: (D)

Taste from the anterior two-thirds of the tongue is carried by a branch of the facial nerve, the chorda tympani. These taste fibers travel from the taste buds in that region, join the lingual nerve, and proceed to the brainstem to synapse in the solitary nucleus. This distinguishes them from other nerves: the glossopharyngeal nerve handles taste from the posterior third, the vagus nerve from theepiglottis and parts of the palate, and the hypoglossal nerve is motor to the tongue rather than sensory (taste).

Taste from the anterior two-thirds of the tongue is carried by a branch of the facial nerve, the chorda tympani. These taste fibers travel from the taste buds in that region, join the lingual nerve, and proceed to the brainstem to synapse in the solitary nucleus. This distinguishes them from other nerves: the glossopharyngeal nerve handles taste from the posterior third, the vagus nerve from theepiglottis and parts of the palate, and the hypoglossal nerve is motor to the tongue rather than sensory (taste).