Cranial Nerves
Published (updated: ).
The cranial nerves are composed of twelve pairs of nerves that emanate from the nervous tissue of the brain. In order to reach their targets they must ultimately exit/enter the cranium through openings in the skull. Hence, their name is derived from their association with the cranium. The following are the list of cranial nerves and their functions.
| Name | Function |
|---|---|
| olfactory | The olfactory nerve carries impulses for the sense of smell. |
| optic | The optic nerve carries impulses for the sense of sight. |
| occulomotor | The occulomotor nerve is responsible for motor enervation of upper eyelid muscle, extraocular muscle and pupillary muscle. |
| trochlear | The trochlear nerve controls an extraocular muscle. |
| trigeminal | The trigeminal nerve is responsible for sensory enervation of the face and motor enervation to muscles of mastication (chewing). |
| abducent | The abducent nerve enervates a muscle, which moves the eyeball. |
| facial | The facial nerve enervates the muscles of the face (facial expression). |
| vestibulocochlear | The vestibulocochlear nerve is responsible for the sense of hearing and balance (body position sense). |
| glossopharyngeal | The glossopharyngeal nerve enervates muscles involved in swallowing and taste. Lesions of the ninth nerve result in difficulty swallowing and disturbance of taste. |
| vagus | The vagus nerve enervates the gut (gastrointestinal tract), heart and larynx. |
| accessory | The accessory nerve enervates the sternocleidomastoid muscles and the trapezius muscles. |
| hypoglossal | The hypoglossal nerve enervates the muscles of the tongue. |
