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¹Gazi University Medical Faculty, Department of Anatomy, Beşevler, Ankara
²Fatih University Medical School, Department of Neurosurgery, Emek, Ankara
³Hacettepe University Medical Faculty, Department of Anatomy, Sıhhiye, Ankara, Turkey This study investigated a possible connection between the facial nerve and/or its chorda tympani branch, and the tympanic plexus with the aim of defining some of the innervation of the middle ear mucosa. The study involved 20 locally bred male and female Wistar albino rats that were 2.5 to 3-months old and weighed 200300 g .. Horseradish peroxidase, a retrograde axonal tracer, was injected into the middle ear mucosa of each rat, and leakage from the injection points was carefully removed by wiping with gauze pads or suctioning with a micropipette. The total amount of horseradish peroxidase solution that remained in the middle ear mucosa was approximately 3-4111. At 24-72 hours after this application, the animals were anesthetized and perfusion-fixed, and their geniculate ganglion, facial nerve, chorda tympani, and superior cervical ganglion were removed bilaterally under magnification. The tissues were then frozen, histochemically processed, and examined. Labeled neuron cell bodies were observed in the ipsilateral superior cervical ganglion, but there were no labeled neurons or axons in the geniculate ganglion, facial nerve, or chorda tympani. The experiment failed to show any connection between the facial nerve, its chorda tympani branch, and the tympanic plexus. Keywords : Chorda tympani, geniculate ganglion, middle ear mucosa innervation, rat, retrograde tracing