Twelve pairs of cranial nerves emerge from the base of the brain. The first two 'nerves' are actually part of the central nervous system (CNS), serving olfaction and vision. The rest are like the spinal nerves, in that they contain axons of the peripheral nervous system (PNS). As the illustration shows, however, a single nerve often has fibres performing many functions. Knowledge of the nerves and their functions is valuable in the diagnosis of neurological disorders. It is important to recognize that the cranial nerves have associated cranial nerve nuclei in the midbrain, pons, and medulla. Examples are the cochlear and vestibular nuclei, which receive information from cranial nerve VIII.
| Nerve Number and Name | Type of Axons | Important Functions | |
| 1. | I. Olfactory |
Special sensory |
Sensation of smell |
| 2. | II. Optic |
Special sensory |
Sensation of vision |
| 3. | III. Occulomotor |
Somatic motor Visceral motor |
Movements of the eye and eyelid Parasympathetic control of pupil size |
| 4. | IV. Trochlear |
Somatic motor |
Movements of the eye |
| 5. | V. Trigeminal |
Somatic sensory Somatic motor |
Sensation of touch to the face Movement of muscles for chewing |
| 6. | VI. Abducens |
Somatic motor |
Movements of the eye |
| 7. | VII. Facial |
Somatic sensory Special sensory |
Movement of muscles for facial expression Sense of taste in front 2/3s of tongue |
| 8. | VIII. Auditory-vestibular |
Special sensory |
Sensation of hearing and balance |
| 9. | IX. Glossopharyngeal |
Somatic motor Visceral motor Special sensory Visceral sensory |
Movement of muscles in the throat Parasympathetic control of salivary glands Sense of taste in rear 1/3 of tongue Detection of blood pressure in aorta |
| 10. | X. Vagus |
Visceral motor Visceral sensory Somatic motor |
Parasympathetic control of heart and lungs Sensation of pain associated with viscera Movement of muscles in throat |
| 11. | XI. Spinal accessory |
Somatic motor |
Movement of muscles in throat and neck |
| 12. | XII. Hypoglossal |
Somatic motor |
Movement of tongue |
A personal request from Barry Thain, Clinical Hypnotist
This is the brochure site for my hypnotherapy practice. I put these pages here because I think hypnosis is all in the brain and, indeed, most of my work involves intervening in the supply of corticotropin releasing hormone from the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis.
Despite being a hypnotherapy site, these neuro-graphics pages get thousands of visits every month. (I've discovered they are used in Wikipedia so that explains a lot of it.) I hope this page has been useful to you, because it isn't of any use to me; unless ...
I have a hypnosis mp3 site. You would do me a great favour if you visited the site briefly because Google would notice and my site would become easier to find for those who want to download therapy. There's no trap, and you don't have to buy anything. There is a free (and popular, and effective) therapy called Appreciate Yourself that you are welcome to grab if you want to, but really I'd just appreciate the visit.
I'm afraid you'll find this request on all these pages, but you don't have to follow the link every time you see it. Once will be great!
Thanks in advance.
Barry
For enquiries and appointments call 020 8948 2439
or email bt@mindsci-clinic.com