Prepare for the Individual Readiness Assurance Test (iRAT) 4 in Head and Neck. Study with multiple-choice questions, comprehensive explanations, and detailed flashcards. Maximize your chances of success with thorough preparation and insightful study resources.

Multiple Choice

Which nerve provides taste to the posterior one-third of the tongue?

Taste from the posterior one-third of the tongue is carried by the glossopharyngeal nerve. It carries gustatory (taste) fibers from taste buds in that region to the brain, traveling with the lingual branch of CN IX to the nucleus of the solitary tract. The facial nerve handles taste for the anterior two-thirds via the chorda tympani, while the vagus supplies taste to areas like the epiglottis, and the hypoglossal nerve is purely motor to the tongue muscles. So the glossopharyngeal nerve is the correct conduit for posterior tongue taste.

Taste from the posterior one-third of the tongue is carried by the glossopharyngeal nerve. It carries gustatory (taste) fibers from taste buds in that region to the brain, traveling with the lingual branch of CN IX to the nucleus of the solitary tract. The facial nerve handles taste for the anterior two-thirds via the chorda tympani, while the vagus supplies taste to areas like the epiglottis, and the hypoglossal nerve is purely motor to the tongue muscles. So the glossopharyngeal nerve is the correct conduit for posterior tongue taste.