The postganglionic parasympathetic fibers originating in the otic ganglion are distributed in several branches of the trigeminal mandibular nerve: an HRP study in the guinea pig.
Application of HRP to the proximal stumps of the ramifications of the trigeminal nerve shows that all those belonging to the mandibular branch contain parasympathetic fibers originating in the otic ganglion. The nerve with the largest proportion of these fibers is the auriculotemporal nerve (50-60% of all labeled neurons), while the smallest percentages are found in the lingual nerve and motor root (about 5% each). The presence of otic fibers in the inferior alveolar, mylohyoid, buccal and motor branches of the trigeminal nerve has not hitherto been reported.
D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count; D002799:Cholinergic Fibers / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D005260:Female; D005726:Ganglia, Parasympathetic / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000166:cytology*; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006735:Horseradish Peroxidase; D008340:Mandibular Nerve / Q000033:anatomy & histology*
D006735:Horseradish Peroxidase