Question

Tongue is under the control of
A. Trigeminal nerve
B. Facial nerve
C. Hypoglossal nerve
D. Glossopharyngeal nerve

Answer 1

Hint: The referred nerve is the twelfth cranial nerve. Its name is derived from the Greek word, ‘hypo’, which means under and ‘glossal’, which means ‘tongue’, as the name itself says it. It is an important nerve responsible for various actions of the person.

Complete answer: The hypoglossal nerve is the twelfth cranial nerve which innervates all the extrinsic and intrinsic muscles of the tongue, except for the palatoglossus, which is innervated by the vagus nerve. This nerve is responsible for the movement of most of the muscles in the tongue. It controls the tongue movements required for speech and swallowing. The hypoglossal nerve arises from the hypoglossal nucleus in the medulla, further passes through the hypoglossal canal and down through the neck and passes up again over the tongue muscles and supplies the tongue. These nerves also supply movements including clearing the saliva of the mouth and other involuntary activities.
Hence, the correct answer is option C.

Additional Information: Cranial nerves are nerves that originate from the brain. These nerves regulate information between the brain and other parts of the body, primarily to and from regions of the head and neck. These nerves are directly associated with major bodily functions and actions are imperial for the overall bodily movements.

Note: Damage to the hypoglossal nerve can affect the ability of the tongue to move which may result in the loss of the ability of speech of the affected person. The most common sources of damage are injury from trauma or surgery and molar neuron disease that may result in severe speech impairment.