Cranial nerves Summary

GSA – general somatic afferent – receive sensory information from the skin, skeletal
muscles and joints
GVA – general visceral afferent – receive sensory information from the viscera
(organs)
SSA – special somatic afferent – receive sensory information from the ectodermal
retina, cochlear and vestibular apparatus
SVA – special visceral afferent – receive sensory information from the endodermal
nose and tongue
GSE – general somatic efferent – provide motor innervation to skeletal muscles
GVE – general visceral efferent – provide secretomotor function to smooth muscle
and glands
SVE – special visceral efferent – provide motor innervation to skeletal muscles of the
pharyngeal arches

Afferent fibres carry sensory information back to the brain. Efferent fibres carry motor
information away from the brain.

Olfactory nerve (CN I)

CN I is the olfactory nerve
It provides special visceral afferent fibres for smell It
connects to the brain (not the brainstem!)
It passes through the cribriform plate of the skull

Optic nerve (CN II)

CN II is the optic nerve
It provides special somatic afferent fibres for vision It
connects to the brain (not the brainstem!)
It is the afferent limb for the pupillary light reflex It
passes through the optic canal of the skull
Oculomotor nerve (CNIII)
CNIII is the oculomotor nerve
It provides general somatic efferent and general visceral efferent fibres to the
extraocular muscles and pupillary constrictor muscles respectively
The muscles are the levator palpebrae superioris, inferior oblique, and superior,
medial and inferior recti
CN III damage causes a ‘down and out’ eye – you can deduce what its function is
from this
It connects to the midbrain
It is the efferent limb for the pupillary light reflex
It passes through the superior orbital fissure of the skull

Trochlear nerve (CN IV)

CN IV is the trochlear nerve
It provides general somatic efferent to the extraocular superior oblique muscle It
assists in depressing and abducting the eye
It connects to the midbrain and is the only cranial nerve to leave the Ponto
mesencephalic junction posteriorly
It passes through the superior orbital fissure of the skull

Trigeminal nerve (CN V)

CN V is the trigeminal nerve It
has three sensory nuclei:
Mesencephalic – proprioception Principal
– light touch and discrimination
Spinal – pain, temperature, crude touch

It emerges from the pons

It is the afferent limb of the corneal reflex; CN VII is the bilateral efferent limb
It has three divisions (ophthalmic, maxillary and mandibular)

Division Modality Sensory Function Motor Function Foramen

Ophthalmic General Somatic Above the lower X Superior orbital

V1 Afferent eyelid fissure

Maxillary General Somatic Lower eyelid to the X Foramen

V2 Afferent upper lip rotundum

Mandibular General Somatic Below upper lip Muscles of Foramen ovale

V3 Afferent mastication

Special Visceral
Efferent
Abducens nerve (CN VI)
CN VI is the abducens nerve
It originates in the pontomedullary region
It provides general somatic efferent fibres for eye abduction It
innervates the lateral rectus muscle
It passes through the superior orbital fissure of the skull

Facial nerve (CN VII)

CN VII is the facial nerve
It originates in the pontomedullary region
The facial nerve loops around the abducens nucleus
It passes through the internal auditory meatus and exits through the stylomastoid
foramen
LMN facial nerve lesions cause upper and lower facial paralysis UMN
facial nerve lesions cause lower facial paralysis only
It provides many structures with innervation (shown in the table below)

Vestibulocochlear nerve (CN VIII)

CN VIII is the vestibulocochlear nerve
It originates in the pontomedullary region
It provides special somatic afferent fibres for hearing and balance
The cochlea transmits sound waves to mechanical ossicle movements to
electrochemical action potentials
The vestibular apparatus detects changes in head motion
It passes through the internal auditory meatus and does not leave the skull

Glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX)

CN IX is the glossopharyngeal nerve
It originates in the medulla oblongata
It draws fibres from the solitary nucleus (taste) and nucleus ambiguus (motor)
It draws more fibres from the inferior salivatory nucleus (parotid gland) and dorsal motor
nucleus (DMX; pharyngeal sensation)
It passes through the jugular foramen
It provides many fibre types (shown in the table below)
3/8
 General somatic afferent Special visceral General visceral Special visceral efferent
afferent efferent

Sensation from the posterior Taste to posterior Parasympathetic Motor to

1/3 of the tongue, pharynx 1/3 of the tongue to parotid glands stylopharyngeus

Vagus nerve (CN X)

CN X is the vagus nerve
It originates in the medulla oblongata
Its major role is parasympathetic innervation of the viscera
The recurrent laryngeal nerve loops under the right subclavian artery and (left) aortic
arch
It passes through the jugular foramen with CN IX and XI It
provides many fibre types (shown in the table below)

Accessory nerve (CN XI)

CN XI is the accessory nerve
It originates in the medulla oblongata and superior cervical cord region It
provides general somatic efferent fibres to the trapezius and
sternocleidomastoid
It exits the spinal cord in the neck and enters the skull through the foramen magnum
It then leaves the skull by the jugular foramen with CNs IX and X

Hypoglossal nerve (CN XII)

CN XII is the hypoglossal nerve
It originates in the medulla oblongata
It provides general somatic efferent fibres for controlling tongue muscles It
exits the skull through the hypoglossal canal

4/8
Cranial nerve summary table

NERVE MODALITY FIBRE FUNCTION FORAMEN

TYPE

I – Olfactory Sensory SVA Smell Cribriform

plate
II –Optic Sensory SSA Vision Optic canal

III – Oculomotor Motor GSE, GVE Extraocular muscles and Superior

eyelid elevator orbital
fissure

IV – Trochlear Motor GSE Superior oblique muscle Superior

orbital
fissure

V – Trigeminal Both GSA V1 – ophthalmic – face V1 –

GSA sensation superior
GSA, SVE orbital
V2 – maxillary – face fissure
sensation
V2 –
V3 – ophthalmic – face foramen
sensation rotundum

V3 –
foramen
ovale

VI – Abducens Motor GSE Lateral rectus Superior

orbital
fissure

VII – Facial Both GSA, SVA, Muscles of facial expression Internal

GVE, SVE + stapedius acoustic
meatus
Taste to the anterior 2/3 of
the tongue to
stylomastoid
Tear and salivary ducts foramen

VIII – Sensory SSA Balance – vestibular division Internal

Vestibulocochlear acoustic
Hearing – cochlear division meatu

5/8
7/8