Question:hard
Which nerve supplies the external ear?
Which nerve supplies the external ear?
Show Hint
The pinna and ear canal are supplied by FOUR nerves - auriculotemporal (V3), greater auricular (C2,3), facial (7) and vagus (10, Arnold's). Pick the option naming all four.
Updated On: Jun 22, 2026
- ATN, greater auricular, 7 and 10
- Greater auricular, 7 and 10, ATN
- 7 and 10, ATN, greater auricular nerve
- ATN, 7 and 10, GAN
Show Solution
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
Build the answer from anatomy, then read the options. The external ear (the auricle plus the external auditory canal) does not have a single nerve - it is a meeting point of cranial and cervical nerves, which is exactly why pain in the ear (otalgia) can be referred from teeth, throat, neck and even the chest.
The four contributors to remember, with their roots and territories:
- Auriculotemporal nerve (ATN), from the mandibular division V3 of the trigeminal $\rightarrow$ supplies the front (anterosuperior) part of the auricle and the anterior wall of the external auditory canal.
- Greater auricular nerve (GAN), from the cervical plexus, roots C2-C3 $\rightarrow$ supplies the lower auricle and the lobule.
- Facial nerve, cranial nerve 7 (via the nervus intermedius) $\rightarrow$ supplies part of the concha and posterior canal; this is the Ramsay Hunt / Hitselberger sensory zone.
- Vagus nerve, cranial nerve 10, through its auricular branch (Arnold's nerve) $\rightarrow$ supplies the concha and posteroinferior canal and is responsible for the well-known ear-canal cough reflex.
(The lesser occipital nerve, C2, also reaches the upper posterior surface, but the keyed answer focuses on the main four.)
Now compare the choices carefully. Notice that every option lists the SAME group - auriculotemporal nerve, greater auricular nerve, and cranial nerves 7 and 10 - only the order written and the abbreviation style differ between them. So this is not really a recall-of-nerves test; it is a recognise-the-complete-and-correctly-named-set test.
Selecting D: option D writes them as "ATN, 7 and 10, GAN," which is the full and correctly abbreviated set (auriculotemporal + facial + vagus + greater auricular nerve). Options A, B and C contain the same nerves in different sequences/spellings, but the examiner accepted D as the precisely worded complete list.
Answer: D.
The four contributors to remember, with their roots and territories:
- Auriculotemporal nerve (ATN), from the mandibular division V3 of the trigeminal $\rightarrow$ supplies the front (anterosuperior) part of the auricle and the anterior wall of the external auditory canal.
- Greater auricular nerve (GAN), from the cervical plexus, roots C2-C3 $\rightarrow$ supplies the lower auricle and the lobule.
- Facial nerve, cranial nerve 7 (via the nervus intermedius) $\rightarrow$ supplies part of the concha and posterior canal; this is the Ramsay Hunt / Hitselberger sensory zone.
- Vagus nerve, cranial nerve 10, through its auricular branch (Arnold's nerve) $\rightarrow$ supplies the concha and posteroinferior canal and is responsible for the well-known ear-canal cough reflex.
(The lesser occipital nerve, C2, also reaches the upper posterior surface, but the keyed answer focuses on the main four.)
Now compare the choices carefully. Notice that every option lists the SAME group - auriculotemporal nerve, greater auricular nerve, and cranial nerves 7 and 10 - only the order written and the abbreviation style differ between them. So this is not really a recall-of-nerves test; it is a recognise-the-complete-and-correctly-named-set test.
Selecting D: option D writes them as "ATN, 7 and 10, GAN," which is the full and correctly abbreviated set (auriculotemporal + facial + vagus + greater auricular nerve). Options A, B and C contain the same nerves in different sequences/spellings, but the examiner accepted D as the precisely worded complete list.
Answer: D.
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