| Cranial root of accessory nerves | |
|---|---|
 Brain stem sagittal section (11 visible near bottom center. Note how in this diagram, root derives entirely from spinal portion, and ascends to cranium.) | |
 Plan of upper portions of glossopharyngeal, vagus, and accessory nerves. | |
| Details | |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | radix cranialis nervi accessorii, pars vagalis nervi accessorii |
| TA98 | A14.2.01.185 |
| TA2 | 6353 |
| FMA | 77543 |
| Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy | |
The cranial root of accessory nerve (or part) is the smaller of the two portions of the accessory nerve. It is generally considered as a part of the vagus nerve and not part of the accessory nerve proper because the cranial component rapidly joins the vagus nerve and serves the same function as other vagal nerve fibers.[1] Recently, the concept of a cranial root of the accessory nerve has been challenged by new neuroanatomical studies which found that an unambiguous cranial root was not present in the majority of the cases.[2][3] However, a small study in 2007[4] followed by a substantially larger study published in 2012[5] both confirmed that the cranial root of the accessory nerve is commonly found in humans, matching traditional descriptions.
- ^ "Spinal Accessory Nerve". Structure of the Human body, Loyola University Medical Education Network. Retrieved 2007-06-17.
- ^ Anatomical evidence for the absence of a morphologically distinct cranial root of the accessory nerve in man. Lachman N, Acland RD, Rosse C. Clin Anat. 2002 15:4-10.
- ^ Is the cranial accessory nerve really a portion of the accessory nerve? Anatomy of the cranial nerves in the jugular foramen. Ryan S, Blyth P, Duggan N, Wild M, Al-Ali S, Anat Sci Int. 2007, 82:1-7.
- ^ Re-examination of the medullary rootlets of the accessory and vagus nerves. Wiles CC, Wrigley B, Greene JR. Clin Anat. 2007 20:19-22.
- ^ Cranial roots of the accessory nerve exist in the majority of adult humans. Tubbs RS, Benninger B, Loukas M, Cohen-Gadol AA 2012 Clin Anat. doi: 10.1002/ca.22125