The great auricular nerve arises from which spinal nerve roots?

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Multiple Choice

The great auricular nerve arises from which spinal nerve roots?

The great auricular nerve comes from the ventral rami of two cervical nerve roots, specifically C2 and C3, as part of the cervical plexus. It travels across the sternocleidomastoid toward the ear and provides sensory innervation to the skin over the parotid region, the angle of the mandible, and the ear lobe. Because it carries fibers from C2 and C3, any option that lacks either of these roots isn’t correct. A root pair like C1-C2 would miss the necessary C3 contribution, C3-C4 would miss C2, and C4-C5 would miss both.

The great auricular nerve comes from the ventral rami of two cervical nerve roots, specifically C2 and C3, as part of the cervical plexus. It travels across the sternocleidomastoid toward the ear and provides sensory innervation to the skin over the parotid region, the angle of the mandible, and the ear lobe. Because it carries fibers from C2 and C3, any option that lacks either of these roots isn’t correct. A root pair like C1-C2 would miss the necessary C3 contribution, C3-C4 would miss C2, and C4-C5 would miss both.

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