Meningeal branch of vagus nerve

The meningeal branch of the vagus nerve is one of its first branches, originating at the level of the superior ganglion. It emerges from the superior ganglion and initially follows the vagus nerve before backtracking through the jugular foramen to re-enter the cranium. Within the skull, it spreads out to provide sensory innervation to the dura mater of the posterior cranial fossa. The neuron cell bodies of this branch reside in the superior ganglion, and its sensory fibers relay general somatic sensation from the dura to the spinal nucleus of the trigeminal nerve in the brainstem.