The laryngeal nerve is one of a pair of nerves that carries instructions from the brain to the larynx (voice-box) and sends sensations from the larynx to the brain. Each nerve leaves the brain through a hole in the base of the skull and passes down the neck. The right laryngeal nerve then hooks around an artery behind the clavicle (collarbone) before returning to the larynx. The left laryngeal nerve travels further, hooking around the aorta before passing back to the larynx.