Anatomy
A ganglion of the nervous system is an accumulation of many nerve cell bodies at specific locations in the body. The ganglion takes the form of a thickening of the nerve cord. Depending on the location of the ganglion, it can be divided into different forms.
If they are categorized according to body regions, one can find head ganglia, neck ganglia (cervical ganglia) or chest ganglia (thoracic ganglia), among others. Furthermore, they can also be categorized according to the different types of nervous systems that occur in the human body. There are two major groups, the so-called spinal ganglia and the autonomous ganglia.
The spinal ganglia belong to the so-called somatic nervous system. This is also called the voluntary nervous system. It contains nerve fibers for motor functions, but also for sensitivity.
The dorsal root ganglia are mainly found in the area of the spine, shortly after the nerve fibers leave the spinal cord. Autonomous ganglia, on the other hand, contain, as the name suggests, autonomous nerve fibers. These cannot be controlled intentionally. They contain so-called sympathetic and parasympathetic fibers (see: sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system).
Function
The function of the ganglia of the nervous system is mainly the processing and transmission of signals. The nerve nodes act as control centers. Through the accumulation of nerve cell bodies, information can be switched and linked from one nerve fiber to a subsequent one.
However, they are not only used for switching signals. Simple processing can also take place in the ganglia. For example, the signals do not have to be transmitted to the brain to be processed there. Signal processing can therefore take place relatively “close to the organ” and is therefore faster in time. This is how some of the reflexes in the body take place.
Ganglion oticum
The Ganglion oticum is a collection of cell bodies in the area of the base of the skull. It represents a so-called parasympathetic ganglion. The ganglion therefore contains autonomous nerve fibers.
The ganglion oticum also contains other qualities of nerve fibers. There are motor, sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve fibers. It functions as a switching station for some of the fibers.
Especially the parasympathetic fibers should be mentioned. The other fiber qualities run through the ganglion without switching. The nerve fibers that pass through the ganglion oticum supply certain areas of the face, head and neck.
The motor fibers belong to the so-called nervus mandibularis and supply small muscles of the ear and muscles of the soft palate. They serve the hearing process and protect the inner ear from excessive noise. The innervated muscles of the soft palate support the process of swallowing. The parasympathetic fibers of the ganglion oticum move both to the parotid gland (also called glandula parotis) and to the many small salivary glands of the cheek mucosa. There they lead to increased saliva secretion.
