| Lesser petrosal nerve | |
|---|---|
 Mandibular division of trigeminal nerve, seen from the middle line. The small figure is an enlarged view of the otic ganglion. (Small petrosal labeled at center top and bottom right.) | |
 Plan of the facial and intermediate nerves and their communication with other nerves. | |
| Details | |
| From | Tympanic plexus |
| To | Otic ganglion |
| Innervates | Parotid gland |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | nervus petrosus minor |
| TA98 | A14.2.01.149 |
| TA2 | 6326 |
| FMA | 53491 |
| Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy | |
The lesser petrosal nerve (also known as the small superficial petrosal nerve) is the general visceral efferent (GVE) nerve conveying pre-ganglionic parasympathetic secretomotor fibers for the parotid gland from the tympanic plexus to the otic ganglion (where they synapse). It passes out of the tympanic cavity through the petrous part of the temporal bone into the middle cranial fossa of the cranial cavity, then exits the cranial cavity through its own canaliculus to reach the infratemporal fossa.
Cell bodies of the lesser petrosal nerve are situated in the inferior salivatory nucleus, and are conveyed first by the glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX) and then by the tympanic nerve to the tympanic plexus.