THE CRANIAL NERVES

I. OLFACTORY
FUNCTION: smell (S)
ORIGIN: receptors of olfactory epithelium
DESTINATION: cerebral hemispheres –
OLFACTORY BULBS
II. OPTIC NERVE
FUNCTION: special sensory (vision
ORIGIN: retina of the eye via optic chiasma
DESTINATION: Diencephalon of the brain
III. OCULOMOTOR
FUNCTION: eye movement (M)
DESTINATION: superior, inferior and medial
recti and inferior oblique muscles, levator
palpebrae superioris, intrinsic eye muscles
ORIGIN: midbrain
IV. TROCHLEAR
FUNCTION: eye movement (M)
DESTINATION: superior oblique muscles
ORIGIN/BRAIN TERMINAL: midbrain
V. TRIGEMINAL (largest cranial nerve)
FUNCTION: swallowing movements (Mixed)
sensitivity of face, teeth,
and tongue
ORIGIN: face (three branches – ophthalmic,
maxillary, mandibular branches)

DESTINATION: pons, muscles for mastication

VI. ABDUCENS
FUNCTION: eye movement
ORIGIN: pons
DESTINATION: lateral rectus muscle
VII. FACIAL (mixed nerve)
FUNCTION: facial movement
ORIGIN: pons, facial muscles and lacrimal gland
and nasal mucous glands, submandibular and
sublingual glands
FIVE BRANCHES: temporal, zygomatic, buccal,
mandibular, cervical
RELATED TO CONDTION: BELL’S PALSY
VIII. VESTIBULOCOCHLEAR
FUNCTION: Hearing and balance (S)
ORIGIN: receptors in cochlea and
vestibule of the inner ear
DESTINATION: pons and medulla
oblongata
• GLOSSOPHARYNGEAL: (mixed)
• FUNCTION: tongue and pharynx
DESTINATION/ORIGIN: medulla
oblongata, pharyngeal muscles, parotid salivary
gland
X. VAGUS
FUNCTION: heart, blood vessels and
viscera
ORIGIN: SENSORY: ear, diaphragm, visceral
organs
MOTOR: medulla oblongata
 ACCESSORY
FUNCTION: motor to muscles of the neck
and back
ORIGIN: medulla oblongata
DESTINATION: muscles of palate, pharynx,
larynx sternocleidomastoid and trapezius
XII. HYPOGLOSSAL
FUNCTION: tongue movement
ORIGIN: medulla oblongata
DESTINATION: muscles of the tongue
 12 PAIRS OF CRANIAL NERVES

• I. On …. Olfactory
• II. Our …………… Optic
• III. Old …….. Oculomotor
• IV. Trusty ……………… Trochlear
• V. Truck ……………… Trigeminal
• VI. Acts ………………… Abducens
• VII. Funny ……………. Facial
• VIIII. Very ………………. Vestibulocochlear
• IX. Good ……………… Glossopharyngeal
• X. Vehicle ………..... Vagus
• XI. Any …………… Accessory
• XII. How ………….. hypoglossal
• SOME ……………. OLFACTORY
• SAY ……………. OPTIC
• MARRY ………….. OCULOMOTOR
• MONEY …………. TROCHLEAR
• BUT ………………. TRIGEMINAL
• MY ………………… ABDUCENS
• BROTHER ……….. FACIAL
• Says ……………… VESTIBULOCOCHLEAR
• Bad …………….. GLOSSOPHARYNGEAL
• Business ……… VAGUS
• Marry …………. ACCESSORY
• Money ………… HYPOGLOSSAL
• Only Old Orange Taste Terrible And Feel Very
Grainy, Veiny And Hard

• Oh, Oh, Oh, To Touch And Feel Very Good

Velvet, Ah!
A COMPARISON OF CRANIAL NERVES
AND SPINAL NERVES
CHARACTERISTICS CRANIAL NERVES__ SPINAL
NERVES
ORIGIN base of brain spinal cord
DISTRIBUTION mainly head skin, skeletal
and neck muscles, joints,
blood vessels, sweat
glands, and mucosae __
• STRUCTURE
• CRANIAL NERVES: some composed of
sensory fibers only, some both of motor
axons and sensory dendrites; motor fibers
belong to voluntary or autonomic nervous
system
• SPINAL NERVES: all compose of both
sensory dendrites and motor axons, some
autonomic
FUNCTION:
CRANIAL NERVES: vision, hearing, sense of
smell, sense of taste, eye movements, visceral
organs functions

SPINAL NERVES: sensations, movements, and

sweat secretion