Properties of the lingual and LVP branches of the glossopharyngeal nerve.

We investigated the effects of various stimuli on the afferent and efferent branches of the glossopharyngeal nerve in the rat soft palate. One of the sensory components, the lingual branch, responded to tactile stimulation, while the LVP branch responded to stretching of the levator veli palatini muscle. We also obtained physiological and morphological evidence of the existence of muscle spindles in the levator veli palatini muscle and showed that tactile stimulation of the contralateral soft palate and stretching of the contralateral LVP modulated discharges from the motor component of the ipsilateral levator veli palatini muscle. Our results suggest that these receptor units with both sensory and motor efferents may be the main determinants of modulation of respiratory movements in the upper airway by the IXth nerve.