Cranial Nerves

Description

Anatomy of cranial nerves. a Pathways of cranial nerves to various innervated tissues of the body

A lateral view of the brain stem illustrating the location of the cranial nerves

Anatomic origin of cranial nerves

Diagram of the 12 cranial nerves and their functional connections. The Xth cranial nerve is the main nerve of the parasympathetic system. The IIIrd, VIIth and IX nerves contain parasympathetic nerves as well as motor and sensory nerves

Alternative Names

• Cerebral nerves
• Nervi craniales
• Cranial nerve complex
• Cranial nerve system
• Cranial nerve pair(s)
• Peripheral cranial nerves
• Encephalic nerves
• Cranial peripheral nerves

General

• 12 paired nerves that arise directly from the brain
• First two nerves arise from the cerebrum, remaining ten emerge from the brainstem

Origin

• Midbrain: trochlear nerve (IV) comes from the posterior side of the midbrain
• Midbrain-pontine junction: oculomotor (III)
• Pons: trigeminal (V)
• Pontine-medulla junction: abducens, facial, vestibulocochlear (VI-VIII)
• Medulla oblongata
  • Posterior to the olive: glossopharyngeal, vagus, accessory (IX-XI)
  • Anterior to the olive: hypoglossal (XII)

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Cranial Nerves

Olfactory nerve (I)

• Responsible for sense of smell
• Modality: sensory

Optic nerve (II)

• Responsible for vision
• Modality: sensory

Oculomotor nerve (III)

• Controls eye movements and eyelid elevation
• Modality: motor

Trochlear nerve (IV)

• Controls eye movements (superior oblique muscle)
• Modality: motor

Trigeminal nerve (V)

• Sensory for face, mouth, and teeth; motor for chewing muscles
• Modality: sensory and motor

Abducens nerve (VI)

• Controls eye movements (lateral rectus muscle)
• Modality: motor

Facial nerve (VII)

• Sensory for taste, facial sensation; motor for facial muscles
• Modality: sensory and motor

Vestibulocochlear nerve (VIII)

• Sensory for hearing and balance
• Modality: sensory

Glossopharyngeal nerve (IX)

• Sensory for taste, swallowing, and salivation; motor for swallowing muscles
• Modality: sensory and motor

Vagus nerve (X)

• Sensory and motor for organs in the chest and abdomen
• Modality: sensory and motor

Accessory nerve (XI)

• Motor for neck and shoulder muscles
• Modality: primarily motor, a few do sensory for the viscera

Hypoglossal nerve (XII)

• Motor for tongue muscles
• Modality: motor

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See Also

• Nerve Anatomy Main
• HEENT Main

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