Cranial Nerves

[ Crimando's HomePage | GateWay HomePage | Legal Disclaimer ] Last Modified: December, 2004. (J. Crimando) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------Cranial Nerves: Review Info There are 12 pairs of cranial nerves. Olfactory I Optic II Oculomotor III Trochlear IV Trigeminal V Abducens VI Facial VII Auditory (vestibulocochlear) VIII Glossopharyngeal IX Vagus X Spinal Accessory XI Hypoglossal XII

To help memorize each, a mnemonic is often used by students such as . . . "On Old Olympic Towering Tops A Finn And German Viewed Some Hops" Cranial Nerve: Major Functions: I Olfactory smell II Optic vision III Oculomotor eyelid and eyeball movement IV Trochlear innervates superior oblique turns eye downward and laterally V Trigeminal chewing face & mouth touch & pain VI Abducens turns eye laterally VII Facial controls most facial expressions secretion of tears & saliva taste VIII Vestibulocochlear (auditory) hearing equillibrium sensation IX Glossopharyngeal taste senses carotid blood pressure X Vagus senses aortic blood pressure slows heart rate stimulates digestive organs taste XI Spinal Accessory controls trapezius & sternocleidomastoid controls swallowing movements XII Hypoglossal controls tongue movements

Continue on to Quizzer #1. . .identify cranial nerve locations Or go to Quizzer #2. . .identify cranial nerve functions Or go to cranial foramina Quizzer. . .identify structures passing through

major cranial formamina

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------Try These Links For Other Info & Images... Cranial Nerve Dissection ...several views of cranial nerves in cadaver brain. Cranial Nerve Pathways ...very good views of cranial nerve pathways in skull Yale ...EXCELLENT drawings and descriptions of all cranial nerves... Just the Basics ...good introductory descriptions & diagrams... Cranial Nerves In Detail ...in depth material on cranial nerves with brief descriptions of how to test function of each -------------------------------------------------------------------------------A Little Cranial Nerve Trivia... Do you know . . . Which cranial nerve is the largest? Which cranial nerve is the only one that exits the "posterior" side of the brainstem? How many cranial nerves are responsible for eye movements? What does "abducens" refer to? Which cranial nerves carry gustatory (taste) information? Which cranial nerve is the longest? What two cranial nerves carry sensory information about blood pressure to the brain? Which cranial nerve is responsible for pupillary constriction? Answers below.

Which cranial nerve is the largest? CN V (Trigeminal) Which cranial nerve is the only one that exits the "posterior" side of the brainstem? CN IV (Trochlear) How many cranial nerves are responsible for eye movements? Three: CN III (Oculomotor), IV (Trochlear), and VI (Abducens). What does "abducens" refer to? The abducens nerve carries motor impulses to the lateral rectus eye muscle which moves the eye laterally causing abduction of the eye. Which cranial nerves carry gustatory (taste) information? CN VII (Facial), CN IX (Glossopharyngeal) and CN X (Vagus). Which cranial nerve is the longest? CN X (Vagus) which reaches from the medulla to the digestive and urinary organs. What two cranial nerves carry sensory information about blood pressure to the brain? CN IX (Glossopharyngeal) and CN X (Vagus). Which cranial nerve is responsible for pupillary constriction? CN III (Oculomotor).

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------WebSite images and text created and Copyright © J. Crimando Ph.D. GateWay Community College; Phoenix, AZ Originally created: Fall, 1997. Last modified: Spring, 2005. Legal Disclaimer.