What nerve does the maxillary division give off in the cranium (dura mater)?

• A. Middle meningeal nerve
• B. Lesser petrosal nerve
• C. Greater petrosal nerve
• D. Recurrent meningeal nerve

Answer: (A)

Dural innervation from the trigeminal system comes from meningeal branches of the branches of the trigeminal nerve. The maxillary division sends a meningeal branch that re-enters the skull to supply the dura mater. This branch is the middle meningeal nerve. It travels with the middle meningeal artery back through the foramen spinosum into the cranium to reach the dura of the anterior and middle cranial fossa.

The other nerves listed aren’t responsible for this dural supply. The lesser petrosal and greater petrosal nerves are parasympathetic fibers associated with the facial and glossopharyngeal systems and do not re-enter the skull to innervate the dura. The recurrent meningeal nerve is sometimes described in relation to dural branches, but the standard dural branch arising from the maxillary division is the middle meningeal nerve.