Definition
noun, plural: cranial nerves
Any of the paired nerves emerging from the brain (including the brainstem but not the spinal cord), and supplies the motor pathways between organs in the face and the upper body
Supplement
Cranial nerves are paired nerves that emerge from the brain and the brainstem. Ten of these cranial nerves originate in the brainstem. They are in contrast to the spinal nerves emerging from the spinal cord. The cranial nerves pass through the holes in the skull and supply the motor pathways between organs in the face and the upper body. They are also responsible for many of the senses. In humans, the cranial nerves are as follows:
- Cranial nerve I (Olfactory nerve)
- Cranial nerve II (Optic nerve)
- Cranial nerve III (Oculomotor nerve)
- Cranial nerve IV (Trochlear nerve)
- Cranial nerve V (Trigeminal nerve)
- Cranial nerve VI (Abducens nerve)
- Cranial nerve VII (Facial nerve)
- Cranial nerve VIII (Vestibulocochlear nerve)
- Cranial nerve IX (Glossopharyngeal nerve)
- Cranial nerve X (Vagus nerve)
- Cranial nerve XI (Accessory nerve)
- Cranial nerve XII (Hypoglossal nerve)
- Cranial nerve XIII or 0 (Terminal nerve)
The cranial nerves are part of the peripheral nervous system rather than of the central nervous system. The olfactory, optic, and terminal nerves though, are structurally more apt to be part of the central nervous system.
Abbreviation / Acronym:
- CN
See also:
