Laryngeal nerve

Galen demonstrating that the recurrent laryngeal nerves render an animal voiceless when cut. Image from the bottom panel of the title page to the 1541 Junta edition of Galen's Works.

The laryngeal nerve, or Galen's nerve, is a nerve originating from the vagus nerve. It comprises two branches, the cranial superior laryngeal nerve, which leaves the vagus at the distal ganglion and passes ventrally to the larynx supplying the cricothyroid muscle and laryngeal mucosa, and the caudal recurrent laryngeal nerve, which enters the larynx under the caudal edge of the cricopharyngeus muscle and innervates all of the muscles of the larynx except the cricothyroid.

There are two subdivisions of the superior laryngeal nerve. These are internal (sensory) and external (motor).

See also

• Superior laryngeal nerve
• Recurrent laryngeal nerve

External links

• Richard Dawkins Demonstrates Laryngeal Nerve of the Giraffe