The "temporal nerve" is a branch of the trigeminal nerve that runs through the temporal region of the skull. The spelling of this word is "tem-po-ral ne-rve" in IPA phonetic transcription. The "t" in "temporal" is pronounced as a voiceless alveolar stop, while the "e" is pronounced as a close mid-front vowel. The "m" is pronounced as a bilabial nasal, and the "p" is pronounced as a voiceless bilabial stop. The "r" is pronounced as a voiced alveolar tap/flap, and the "a" is pronounced as an open front vowel. The "l" is pronounced as a voiced alveolar lateral approximant, and the "n" as a voiced alveolar nasal. The "v" in "nerve" is pronounced as a voiced labiodental fricative.
The temporal nerve, also referred to as the temporal branch of the facial nerve or nervus temporalis, is a crucial sensory nerve responsible for innervating specific regions of the face and scalp. It is a branch of the seventh cranial nerve, known as the facial nerve.
The temporal nerve arises near the ear as a small division of the facial nerve, which is responsible for controlling the muscles involved in facial expressions. It passes through the parotid gland, a salivary gland, and then branches out into smaller nerves that extend to different areas of the face.
Functionally, the temporal nerve primarily supplies sensory innervation to the scalp, forehead, and a portion of the face. It plays a vital role in transmitting stimuli such as touch, pain, and temperature from these areas to the brain. This nerve enables individuals to perceive sensations on the side of the head, allowing them to differentiate between various physical stimuli and experience tactile sensations accurately.
Damage or dysfunction of the temporal nerve can lead to altered sensation or complete loss of sensation in the distribution area. This can occur due to trauma, infections, nerve compression, or certain medical conditions. When such damage arises, it may manifest as numbness, tingling, or hypersensitivity in the affected region.
In summary, the temporal nerve is a significant sensory branch of the facial nerve responsible for providing innervation to the scalp, forehead, and specific areas of the face.
Nervus temporalis.
A practical medical dictionary. By Stedman, Thomas Lathrop. Published 1920.
The word temporal derives from the Latin word temporalis, meaning of or pertaining to the temples, which in turn comes from the Latin word tempus, meaning time.
The word nerve comes from the Latin word nervus, meaning sinew, tendon.