Which nerve located in the medulla oblongata raises the pharynx to swallow or talk and carries taste from the back third of the tongue?

Which nerve located in the medulla oblongata raises the pharynx to swallow or talk and carries taste from the back third of the tongue?

• A. Vagus (X)
• B. Hypoglossal (XII)
• C. Spinal Accessory (XI)
• D. Glossopharyngeal (IX)

Answer: (D)

The glossopharyngeal nerve does exactly that: it has a motor branch to the stylopharyngeus muscle, which elevates the pharynx during swallowing and helps with speech, and it carries taste from the posterior third of the tongue. These two roles—lifting the pharynx for swallowing and conveying taste from the back of the tongue—are carried by this nerve whose nuclei lie in the medulla. Understanding its path helps: the motor part comes from the nucleus ambiguus to stylopharyngeus, while the taste fibers go to the solitary nucleus. Other nerves listed don’t match both functions: the vagus can influence swallowing but isn’t responsible for posterior-tongue taste; the hypoglossal controls tongue movements; the spinal accessory mostly moves neck muscles.

The glossopharyngeal nerve does exactly that: it has a motor branch to the stylopharyngeus muscle, which elevates the pharynx during swallowing and helps with speech, and it carries taste from the posterior third of the tongue. These two roles—lifting the pharynx for swallowing and conveying taste from the back of the tongue—are carried by this nerve whose nuclei lie in the medulla. Understanding its path helps: the motor part comes from the nucleus ambiguus to stylopharyngeus, while the taste fibers go to the solitary nucleus. Other nerves listed don’t match both functions: the vagus can influence swallowing but isn’t responsible for posterior-tongue taste; the hypoglossal controls tongue movements; the spinal accessory mostly moves neck muscles.