Superior ganglion of vagus nerve

The superior ganglion of the vagus nerve or jugular ganglion is a well-marked ganglionic enlargement of the vagus nerve. It is located in the middle part of the jugular foramen. It contains afferent somatosensory neuronal cell bodies that provide sensory information from the external auditory meatus (auricular branch), cranial meninges (meningeal branch), and the external surface of the tympanic membrane. Their central fibers synapse in the Trigeminal nerve nuclei.

It is a grayish color, spherical in form, and about 4 mm. in diameter.