Glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX)

The **glossopharyngeal nerve** is the ninth of twelve cranial nerves, known as CN IX. It is a mixed nerve containing sensory, motor, and parasympathetic fibers. This nerve originates in the medulla oblongata and exits the skull via the jugular foramen. It provides sensory innervation (including taste) to the posterior one-third of the tongue, carries sensory information from the carotid body and sinus (important for cardiovascular reflexes), supplies motor innervation to the stylopharyngeus muscle (involved in swallowing), and delivers parasympathetic fibers to the parotid salivary gland[1][2][3][4][5]. Injury or disease affecting this nerve can result in sensory deficits, impaired swallowing, altered taste, and in rare cases, glossopharyngeal neuralgia. **Note:** - The glossopharyngeal nerve is **not** a molecular drug target such as a receptor, enzyme, ion channel, or transporter, but a mixed cranial nerve. For pharmacological databases or structured target libraries, this entry is **incorrect** as a canonical drug target. - No known drugs directly target the glossopharyngeal nerve at a molecular level; any effects are typically secondary to procedural interventions, nerve blocks, or surgeries. - If you need information about a molecular target *innervated by* or associated with the glossopharyngeal nerve (e.g., a specific receptor subtype expressed in its sensory or motor pathways), please provide more detail.

Other names

Cranial nerve IXCN IXNinth cranial nerve