Editing Trigeminal nerve (section)

===Muscles===
The motor component of the mandibular division (V3) of the trigeminal nerve controls the movement of eight muscles, including the four [[muscles of mastication]]: the [[Masseter muscle|masseter]], the [[temporal muscle]], and the [[Medial pterygoid muscle|medial]] and [[Lateral pterygoid muscle|lateral pterygoids]]. The other four muscles are the [[tensor veli palatini]], the [[Mylohyoid muscle|mylohyoid]], the anterior belly of the [[digastric muscle|digastric]] and the [[tensor tympani]]. 

With the exception of the tensor tympani, all these muscles are involved in biting, chewing and swallowing and all have bilateral [[Cortex (anatomy)|cortical]] representation.  A unilateral central lesion (for example, a [[stroke]]), no matter how large, is unlikely to produce an observable deficit. Injury to a peripheral nerve can cause paralysis of muscles on one side of the jaw, with the jaw deviating towards the paralyzed side when it opens. This direction of the mandible is due to the action of the functioning pterygoids on the opposite side.