The medial brachial cutaneous nerve (lesser internal cutaneous nerve; medial cutaneous nerve of arm) is distributed to the skin on the medial brachial side of the arm.

Anatomy

It is the smallest branch of the brachial plexus

Brachial plexus

The brachial plexus is a network of nerve fibers, running from the spine, formed by the ventral rami of the lower four cervical and first thoracic nerve roots...

, and arising from the medial cord

Medial cord

The Medial cord is a division of the brachial plexus.The medial cord gives rise to the following nerves:*The median pectoral nerve, C8 and T1, to the pectoralis muscle*The medial brachial cutaneous nerve, T1...

 receives its fibers from the eighth cervical and first thoracic nerves. It passes through the axilla, at first lying behind, and then medial to the axillary vein

Axillary vein

In human anatomy, the axillary vein is a large blood vessel that conveys blood from the lateral aspect of the thorax, axilla and upper limb toward the heart...

, and communicates with the intercostobrachial nerve

Intercostobrachial nerve

-Second intercostal nerve:The lateral cutaneous branch of the second intercostal nerve does not divide, like the others, into an anterior and a posterior branch; it is named the intercostobrachial nerve. It pierces the Intercostalis externus and the Serratus anterior, crosses the axilla to the...

.

It descends along the medial side of the brachial artery

Brachial artery

The brachial artery is the major blood vessel of the arm.It is the continuation of the axillary artery beyond the lower margin of teres major muscle. It continues down the ventral surface of the arm until it reaches the cubital fossa at the elbow. It then divides into the radial and ulnar arteries...

 to the middle of the arm, where it pierces the deep fascia

Deep fascia

Deep fascia is a layer of fascia which can surround individual muscles, and divide groups of muscles into compartments....

, and is distributed to the skin of the back of the lower third of the arm

Arm

In human anatomy, the arm is the part of the upper limb between the shoulder and the elbow joints. In other animals, the term arm can also be used for analogous structures, such as one of the paired forelimbs of a four-legged animal or the arms of cephalopods...

, extending as far as the elbow, where some filaments are lost in the skin in front of the medial epicondyle, and others over the olecranon

Olecranon

The olecranon is a large, thick, curved bony eminence of the forearm that projects behind the elbow.It is situated at the upper end of the ulna, one of the two bones in the forearm...

.

It communicates with the ulnar branch of the medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve.

Eponym

The term "nerve of Wrisberg

Nerve of Wrisberg

The nerve of Wrisberg can refer to:* Medial cutaneous nerve of arm* A branch of the facial nerve...

" (after Heinrich August Wrisberg

Heinrich August Wrisberg

Heinrich August Wrisberg was an anatomist. He also published under the Latinized version of his name as Henricus Augustus Wrisberg.-Education:...

) has been used to describe this nerve.

However, the term "nerve of Wrisberg" can also refer to the nervus intermedius

Nervus intermedius

The nervus intermedius, or intermediate nerve, is the part of the facial nerve located between the motor component of the facial nerve and the vestibulocochlear nerve . It contains the sensory and parasympathetic fibers of the facial nerve...

 branch of the facial nerve

Facial nerve

The facial nerve is the seventh of twelve paired cranial nerves. It emerges from the brainstem between the pons and the medulla, and controls the muscles of facial expression, and functions in the conveyance of taste sensations from the anterior two-thirds of the tongue and oral cavity...

.

See also

• Superior lateral cutaneous nerve of arm
  Superior lateral cutaneous nerve of arm
  The superior lateral cutaneous nerve of arm is the continuation of the posterior cord of the axillary nerve, after it pierces the deep fascia.-Course and targets:...
  
  
• Inferior lateral cutaneous nerve of arm
  Inferior lateral cutaneous nerve of arm
  The inferior lateral cutaneous nerve of arm is a nerve found in humans and other animals. It is also called the inferior lateral brachial cutaneous nerve...
  
  
• Posterior cutaneous nerve of arm
  Posterior cutaneous nerve of arm
  The posterior cutaneous nerve of arm is a branch of the radial nerve that provides sensory innervation for much of the skin on the back of the arm...