Dr.

Nimir
Dr. Safaa
 Objectives
List the trigeminal nerve nuclei and
their location
Follow up the course of trigeminal
nerve from its point of central
connections to exit and down to its
target areas.
Describe the sensory and motor
components of the trigeminal
nerve.
 Trigeminal Nerve (Cranial
Nerve V):
It is the largest cranial
nerve and contains both
sensory and motor fibers.
It is sensory to greater
part of head and motor to
several muscles including
muscles of mastication.
 Trigeminal Nerve
Nuclei:
It has four nuclei:
(1) Main sensory
nucleus.
(2) Spinal
nucleus.
(3)Mesencephalic
nucleus.
(4) Motor
nucleus.
 Main sensory nucleus lies
in posterior part of pons
lateral to the motor
nucleus.
Spinal nucleus
continuous superiorly
with main sensory
nucleus and extends
inferiorly through
medulla oblongata and
into upper part of spinal
cord as far as second
cervical segment.
 Mesencephalic
Nucleus composed of
unipolar cells situated
in lateral part of gray
matter around
cerebral aqueduct.
It extends inferiorly
into pons as far as
main sensory nucleus.
Motor nucleus is
situated in pons
medial to main
sensory nucleus.
 Course of the Trigeminal
Nerve
Trigeminal nerve leaves
anterior aspect of pons as
a small motor root and a
large sensory root.
It passes forward out of
posterior cranial fossa
and rests on apex of
petrous bone in middle
cranial fossa here sensory
root expands to form
trigeminal ganglion.
Ophthalmic, maxillary,
and mandibular nerves
arise from the anterior
border of ganglion.
 Ophthalmic nerve (V1)
contains only sensory fibers
leaves skull through
superior orbital fissure to
orbital cavity.
Maxillary nerve (V2) also
contains only sensory fibers
leaves the skull through
foramen rotundum.
Mandibular nerve (V3)
contains both sensory and
motor fibers and leaves
skull through foramen
ovale.
The sensory fibers to skin of
face from each division
supply a distinct zone with
little or no overlap of
dermatomes .
 Sensory Components of the
Trigeminal Nerve
Pain, temperature, touch, and
pressure from skin of face and
mucous membranes travel
along axons whose cell bodies
are situated in the trigeminal
ganglion.
The central processes of these
cells form sensory root of
trigeminal nerve.
About half the fibers divide
into ascending and descending
branches when they enter the
pons.
The remainder ascend or
descend without division.
 The ascending
branches terminate in
main sensory nucleus,
and descending
branches terminate in
spinal nucleus.
Touch and pressure are
conveyed by nerve
fibers that terminate in
the main sensory
nucleus.
Pain and temperature
pass to spinal nucleus.
 Proprioceptive impulses from
muscles of mastication and
from facial and extraocular
muscles are carried by fibers of
unipolar cells of the
mesencephalic nucleus that
have bypassed trigeminal
ganglion.
Axons of the neurons in the
main sensory and spinal nuclei
and central processes of cells in
mesencephalic nucleus now
cross median plane and ascend
as trigeminal lemniscus to
terminate on nerve cells of
ventral posteromedial nucleus
of the thalamus.
Axons of these cells now travel
through genu internal capsule
to postcentral gyrus (areas 3, 1,
and 2) of the cerebral cortex.
 Motor Component of the
Trigeminal Nerve
Motor nucleus receives
corticonuclear fibers from
both cerebral hemispheres.
It also receives fibers from
reticular formation, red
nucleus, tectum, and medial
longitudinal fasciculus.
In addition, it receives fibers
from the mesencephalic
nucleus, thereby forming a
monosynaptic reflex arc.
Cells of motor nucleus give
rise to axons that form motor
root.
Motor nucleus supplies
muscles of mastication,
tensor tympani, tensor veli
palatini, mylohyoid and
anterior belly of digastric
muscle.