hypoglossal nerve

noun

Anatomy.

1. either one of the twelfth pair of cranial nerves, consisting of motor fibers that innervate the muscles of the tongue.

hypoglossal nerve

noun

1. the twelfth cranial nerve, which supplies the muscles of the tongue

Word History and Origins

Origin of hypoglossal nerve¹

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

They had found that during REM sleep the neurotransmitter acetylcholine acts on certain receptors on the hypoglossal nerve to powerfully inhibit activation of the genioglossus.

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A newer procedure, hypoglossal nerve stimulation, uses a small device implanted in the chest to help control the movement of the tongue when it blocks the airway.

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A head and neck surgeon, working through an incision in the side of the neck, under the patient's jaw, places an electrode on the hypoglossal nerve, which controls the muscles of the tongue.

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One involves a small device similar to a pacemaker that is surgically implanted under the skin, and attached to a wire that runs to the hypoglossal nerve, which controls the tongue.

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By the end of January, Minneapolis-based Inspire Medical Systems plans to begin enrolling 100 apnea patients in a key study in the U.S. and Europe to see if so-called hypoglossal nerve stimulation really could work.

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