Geniculate ganglion houses cell bodies for taste fibers from which nerve?

• A. Glossopharyngeal
• B. Vagus
• C. Trigeminal
• D. Chorda tympani

Answer: (D)

Taste from the anterior two‑thirds of the tongue is carried by fibers in the chorda tympani, a branch of the facial nerve. The cell bodies of these taste fibers reside in the geniculate ganglion, which is the sensory (taste) ganglion of CN VII. From there, the central processes project to the nucleus of the solitary tract. The glossopharyngeal nerve handles taste from the posterior third of the tongue, the vagus handles taste from the epiglottis, and the trigeminal nerve provides general somatic sensation (not taste) from the face. So the geniculate ganglion specifically houses the cell bodies for taste fibers coming via the chorda tympani.