Cranial Nerve VII
The main trunk of the nerve, now termed the motor root of the facial nerve, continues anteriorly and inferiorly into the parotid gland(note – the facial nerve does not contribute towards the innervation of the parotid gland, which is innervated by the glossopharyngeal nerve).
Within the parotid gland, the nerve terminates by splitting into five branches:
- Temporal branch
- Zygomatic branch
- Buccal branch
- Marginal mandibular branch
- Cervical branch
These branches are responsible for innervating the muscles of facial expression.
The facial nerve is associated with the derivatives of the second pharyngeal arch.