Baroreceptor afferent fibres from the carotid sinus travel through a named nerve to reach the brainstem. That nerve is:

• A The nerve of Wrisberg, a branch of the facial nerve
• B Hering's nerve, a branch of the glossopharyngeal nerve ✓
• C The recurrent laryngeal nerve, a branch of the vagus
• D Jacobson's nerve, a branch of the tympanic plexus

Explanation

Carotid sinus baroreceptors send their afferents through Hering's nerve (sinus nerve) into the glossopharyngeal nerve, reaching the solitary tract nucleus. Aortic arch baroreceptors travel instead in the vagus nerve, which is the key distinction examiners test. The nerve of Wrisberg carries taste fibres via chorda tympani, Jacobson's nerve supplies the middle ear, and the recurrent laryngeal is motor to laryngeal muscles.

Reference: Ganong's Review of Medical Physiology, 26th ed.

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Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.