Which nerve carries taste fibers from the anterior two-thirds of the tongue?

• A. Lingual nerve
• B. Chorda tympani
• C. Glossopharyngeal
• D. Vagus

Answer: (B)

Taste from the anterior two-thirds of the tongue is carried by the chorda tympani, a branch of the facial nerve. This nerve contains special visceral afferent (taste) fibers and joins the lingual nerve (a branch of V3) to reach the tongue. From the tongue, the taste information travels back to the brainstem via the facial nerve, with the cell bodies located in the geniculate ganglion and the central connections in the solitary nucleus. In contrast, general sensation from this region travels with the lingual nerve, while taste from the posterior one-third of the tongue goes via the glossopharyngeal nerve. The chorda tympani’s dual role—taste fibers traveling with the lingual nerve to the brain and its parasympathetic connections to the submandibular ganglion—helps explain its unique position in innervation of the anterior tongue.