CRANIAL NERVES

Nervous System Motor (Output)

Sensory Neuron – in  Branchial Motor (BM) – originating from the branchial
Interneuron – processing (CNS) arch (muscles of mastication and facial expression)
Motor Neuron – out  Somatic Motor (SM) – originating from the somatic
 Visceral Motor (VM) – for internal organs (glands like
salivary, lacrimal glands etc)

12 pairs of cranial nerves

 III to XII attached to the brain stem
 Their cell bodies form nuclei in the brain stem
 The first cell body of sensory nerves lies outside CNS
(form ganglia)

Sensory (Input)

Special Sensation (SS)

 Hearing
 Vision
 Taste
 Smell
Visceral Sensation (VS)
 breathlessness during exercise, immediate satiation of
hunger and thirst, bladder fullness, and rectal fullness
 blood pressure and chemical composition of the blood
General Sensation (GS)
 Touch
 Pain
 Temperature
 Vibration
 Proprioception/Kinesthesia - the sense that lets us
perceive the location, movement, and action of parts of
the body

Processing (CNS)
For Cranial Nerves
The primary place where interneuron process information is
in the brain stem
 Midbrain
 Pons
 Medulla Oblongata

Brainstem Cranial Nerve Nuclei

 Somatic
 Branchial
 Visceral

The 12 Cranial Nerves and Their Functions (cont’d.)

(I) Olfactory: smell
(II) Optic: sight
(III) Oculomotor: movement of eyeball, constriction of pupil
(IV) Trochlear: movement of eyeball
(V) Trigeminal: chewing, sensations in teeth
(VI) Abducens: movement of eyeball
(VII) Facial: facial expression, taste, tear and salivary glands
(VIII) Vestibulocochlear: equilibrium, hearing
(IX) Glossopharyngeal: swallowing, taste, salivary glands
(X) Vagus: certain muscle movements, sensory impulses
(XI) Accessory: swallowing, head movement
(XII) Hypoglossal: swallowing, speech

Special Senses
The Sense of Smell
 Molecules in air dissolve in nasal mucus
 Bipolar sensory neurons transfer chemical impulse
 Olfactory bulbs receive impulse
 Impulse sent to olfactory cortex
 Odor variety dependent on brain interpretation

The Sense of Hearing and Equilibrium

Outer ear
 Auricle: external, visible, flexible part
 External auditory meatus
----------Lined with hair and ceruminous glands
The Sense of Taste  Tympanic membrane: vibrates in response to sound
 Taste buds on tongue, palate, and pharynx
 Taste bud cell types
-Exterior capsule: epithelial cells
-Interior: taste cells
 Taste depends on chemicals dissolved in saliva
 Taste influenced by olfactory sensations

The Sense of Sight

 Eyes protected by eyelids and eyelashes
 Tears
-Lubricate the eyes
-Contain bacteriolytic lysozyme enzyme
-Contain salt and gamma globulin
Middle ear
 Auditory ossicles: malleus, incus, and stapes
 Openings: oval and round windows
 Eustachian tube: equalizes pressure

Inner ear
 Cochlea: hearing
 Equilibrium
--------Static: vestibule
--------Kinetic: semicircular canals

CRANIAL NERVES