Table of cranial nerves

The cranial nerves are twelve pairs of nerves that emerge directly from the brain, including the brainstem, in contrast to the spinal nerves which emerge from segments of the spinal cord. Each cranial nerve has a specific function and is numbered based on its location from the front of the brain to the back. The following table provides an overview of the cranial nerves, their primary functions, and their anatomical pathways.

Number	Name	Function	Pathway
I	Olfactory nerve	Sense of smell	From the olfactory epithelium to the olfactory bulb
II	Optic nerve	Vision	From the retina to the optic chiasm and then to the lateral geniculate nucleus
III	Oculomotor nerve	Eye movement, pupil constriction	From the midbrain to the extraocular muscles and ciliary ganglion
IV	Trochlear nerve	Eye movement (superior oblique muscle)	From the midbrain to the superior oblique muscle
V	Trigeminal nerve	Facial sensation, mastication	From the pons to the face, with three branches: ophthalmic, maxillary, and mandibular
VI	Abducens nerve	Eye movement (lateral rectus muscle)	From the pons to the lateral rectus muscle
VII	Facial nerve	Facial expression, taste (anterior 2/3 of the tongue), salivation, tear production	From the pons to the facial muscles, submandibular gland, sublingual gland, and lacrimal gland
VIII	Vestibulocochlear nerve	Hearing, balance	From the inner ear to the pons
IX	Glossopharyngeal nerve	Taste (posterior 1/3 of the tongue), salivation, swallowing	From the medulla oblongata to the pharynx, parotid gland, and posterior tongue
X	Vagus nerve	Parasympathetic control of the heart, lungs, and digestive tract, taste, swallowing	From the medulla oblongata to the thoracic and abdominal organs
XI	Accessory nerve	Shoulder and neck movement	From the medulla oblongata and spinal cord to the sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles
XII	Hypoglossal nerve	Tongue movement	From the medulla oblongata to the muscles of the tongue

See Also

• Nervous system
• Peripheral nervous system
• Brainstem
• Neuroanatomy
• Neurology

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