Greater occipital nerve
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| Nerve: Greater occipital nerve | ||
|---|---|---|
| Posterior primary divisions of the upper three cervical nerves. (Great occipital nerve labeled at center top.) | ||
| Gray's | subject #209 923 | |
| Innervates | semispinalis capitis, scalp | |
| Dorlands/Elsevier | n_05/12566321 | |
The greater occipital nerve is a spinal nerve arising from the dorsal primary rami of cervical spinal nerve 2, between the first and second cervical vertebrae, along with the lesser occipital nerve.
It innervates the scalp at the top of the head, over the ear and over the parotid glands.
[edit] Clinical relevance
Disorder of this nerve is one of the causes of cervicogenic headaches, referred to as occipital neuralgias.
[edit] External links
 | This neuroscience article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
| Spinal nerves | |
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ventral root - dorsal root - dorsal root ganglion - cauda equina - gray ramus communicans - white ramus communicans posterior divisions: cervical (greater occipital, third occipital) - thoracic - lumbar - sacral - coccygeal anterior divisions: cervical plexus - brachial plexus - thoracic nerves: (intercostal - intercostobrachial - subcostal) - lumbosacral plexus | |
