HEALTH ASSESSMENT

N295
CRANIAL NERVES: FUNCTION & TEST
Cranial nerves enter and exit the brain rather than the spinal cord. The twelve pairs of cranial nerves
supply primarily the head and neck, except the vagus nerve, which travels to the heart, respiratory
muscles, stomach, and gallbladder.
NUMBER

NERVE

FUNCTION

TEST

I.

Olfactory

Sensory: Smell

Identify familiar odors with eyes

closed, occluding one nostril at a
time.

II.

Optic

Sensory: Acuity/Visual
Fields

Near/distant vision fields by

confrontation

III.

Oculomotor

IV.

Trochlear

Motor: Raise lids, Extra Ocular

Movements (EOM), pupil
constriction

Inspect eye lid for droop; PERLLA:

pupil reaction to light, direct and
consensual;
Pupil reaction to accommodation: Six
Cardinal Fields

Trigeminal

Motor: Jaw open, clench,

chew
Sensory: Cornea, iris, lids,
forehead, nose & mouth

Palpate jaw muscles for tone &

strength; Superficial pain & touch in
all areas; Corneal reflex

VII.

Facial

Motor: Facial movements,

speech sounds (b, m, w,
round vowels)
Sensory: Taste, saliva & tear
secretion

Facial symmetry: smile, frown,

wrinkle forehead.
Identify sweet / salty taste anterior
tongue

VIII.

Acoustic

Sensory: Hearing

Hearing acuity by Whisper, Weber,

Rinne

IX.

Glossopharynge
al

Motor: Pharynx: swallow,

phonation
Sensory: Gag reflex, taste

Test gag reflex ,ability to swallow,

Identify sour/salty taste posterior
tongue

X.

Vagus

Motor: Pharynx & Larynx

phonation: guttural speech
sound
Sensory: General sensation
from the carotid body,
Carotid Sinus, Pharynx &
Viscera

Observe movement of Uvula with

speech sounds; Ability to swallow;
Quality of speech sounds

XI.

Spinal

Movement of the Trapezius

& sternomastoid muscles

Shrug shoulders; Moves head

against resistance

XII.

Hypoglossal

Motor: Movement of tongue

& position

Symmetry, atrophy, tremor of

tongue while protruding;
moves toward nose & chin

VI.
V.

Abducens

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