BRAIN &

CRANIAL NERVES
 INTRODUCTION
• The nervous system is our body's decision
and communication center. The central
nervous system (CNS) is made of the brain
and the spinal cord and the peripheral
nervous system (PNS) is made of nerves.
The brain and spinal cord are the two
main structures of the central nervous
system.
 DEFINITION

• Brain is an organ made up of soft

nervous tissue which is present inside
the cranium, function as the
coordinating centre of sensation &
intellectual and nervous activity.
HUMAN BRAIN
 PARTS OF BRAIN
The brain is made of
three main parts:
 Forebrain(Prosencephalon)
Diencephalon
Cerebrum 
 Midbrain(Mesencephalon)
Tectum
Tegmentum
 Hindbrain.
(Rhombencephalon)
Cerebellum
Pons
Medulla oblongata
 FOREBRAIN
• Forebrain is responsible for processing sensory
information, collected by different sensory
organs, such as eyes, nose, ears, tongue and
skin. It is further divided into two parts,
namely:
Diencephalon
Telencephalon(Cerebrum)
• The diencephalon contains thalamus and
hypothalamus which control sensory and
autonomic processes. Telencephalon contains
the biggest part of brain, called cerebrum.
 CEREBRUM
• The cerebrum is the largest part of the
human brain, and is divided into nearly
symmetrical left and right hemispheres by
a deep groove, the longitudinal fissure.
• The outer part of the cerebrum is the
cerebral cortex, made up of grey matter
arranged in layers. It is 2 to 4 millimetre
thick, and deeply folded to give a
convoluted appearance. Beneath the
cortex is the white matter of the brain.
CEREBRAL HEMISPHERE
The hemispheres are connected by a mass
of white matter, called the corpus
callosum. The corpus callosum connects
the two sides and transfers signals from
one side of the brain to the other.

 The surface of the brain is folded into

ridges (gyri) and grooves (sulci), many of
which are named, usually according to
their position, such as the frontal gyrus of
the frontal lobe or the central sulcus
separating the central regions of the
hemispheres.
 CEREBRAL LOBES
• Each hemisphere is divided into
four lobes named according to the
skull bones that overlie them ;
FRONTAL LOBE
PARIETAL LOBE
TEMPORAL LOBE
OCCIPITAL LOBE.
 DIENCEPHALON
The diencephalon is a division of the
forebrain (prosencephalon), and is
situated between the telencephalon and
the midbrain (mesencephalon). It consists
of structures that are on either side of
the third ventricle, including the
1. THALAMUS.
2. HYPOTHALAMUS.
3. EPITHALAMUS
4. SUBTHALAMUS.
CONTI...

THALAMUS
• This consists of two masses of grey and
white matter situated within the cerebral
hemisphere just below the corpus callosum,
one on each side of the third ventricle.
HYPOTHALAMUS
• The hypothalamus is a small but important
structure which weighs around 7g and
consists of a number of nuclei. It is situated
below and infront of the thalamus ,
immediately above the pituitary gland.
CONTI...
EPITHALAMUS
• A small part of the diencephalon, the
epithalamus, extends rearward from, and
slightly higher than, the thalamus. It holds
the habenular nuclei, the stria medullaris
thalami nerve tracts, and the pineal body, or
epiphysis.
SUBTHALAMUS
• That part of the diencephalon immediately
below the two lobes of the thalamus is the
subthalamus. It contains several nerve tracts
and the subthalamic nuclei.
DIENCEPHALON
 FUNCTION OF CEREBRUM
The cerebral cortex provides most of the functions of the cerebrum
and is organized into three major regions: sensory, association, and
motor areas.
• Sensory neurons carry signals to the cerebrum
from billions of sensory receptors found
throughout the body.
• Association areas make up a large portion of the
cerebrum and are involved in the integration,
interpretation, and complex thought about
information obtained from the senses.

• Motor areas are involved in the coordination and

execution of muscle movements. Information from
association areas passes to motor areas to create
 FUNCTION OF LOBES
• FRONTAL LOBE : Involved with decision-
making, problem solving, and planning
• OCCIPITAL LOBES: Involved with vision and
color recognition
• PARIETAL LOBES : Receives and processes
sensory information
• TEMPORAL LOBES : Involved with emotional
responses, memory, and speech
 FUNCTION OF
DIENCEPHALON
• As a junction and relay system that receives
and filters afferent (incoming) sensory
information, then relays it on to other parts
of the brain, mainly the cerebral cortex, but
also to the cerebellum and brainstem.

• As an interactive site between the central

nervous system and the endocrine system.

• As an interactive complementary to the

limbic system.
 MIDBRAIN
• The midbrain acts as a bridge to
transmit signals from hindbrain and
forebrain. These signals mostly come
from the senses of touch and hearing,
collected by the specialized organs.
• The principal regions of the midbrain
are the:
»Tectum.
»Tegmentum.
 TECTUM
 The tectum makes up the rear portion of the
midbrain and is formed by two paired rounded
swellings, the superior and inferior colliculi.
The superior colliculus receives input from the
retina and the visual cortex and participates in a
variety of visual reflexes, particularly the
tracking of objects in the visual field.
 The inferior colliculus receives both crossed
and uncrossed auditory fibres and projects upon
the medial geniculate body, the auditory relay
nucleus of the thalamus.
 TEGMENTUM
• The tegmentum is located in front of the
tectum. It consists of fibre tracts and three
regions distinguished by their colour—the
red nucleus, the periaqueductal gray, and
the substantia nigra.
• The red nucleus is a large structure located
centrally within the tegmentum that is
involved in the coordination of
sensorimotor information
MIDBRAIN
 FUNCTION OF MIDBRAIN

1. Controlling Responses to Sight

2. Eye Movement
3. Pupil Dilation
4. Regulate Muscle Movement
5. Hearing
 HINDBRAIN
Hindbrain, also calledrhombencephalon.
The hindbrain has three parts:
• Medulla oblongata.
• Cerebellum.
• Pons
 MEDULLA OBLONGATA
• The medulla oblongata, also called medulla
or myelencephalon, is an enlargement where
the spinal cord enters the brain. It contains
centres that control several visceral
(autonomic homeostatic) functions, such as
breathing, heart and blood vessel activity,
swallowing, vomiting, and digestion (gastric
secretions). It serves as a screen for
information that leaves or enters the brain.
 CEREBELLUM

• The cerebellum coordinates movements,

receives sensory information about the
position of the joints and length of the
muscles, as well as from the auditory and
visual systems.
 PONS

• The pons is a bridge of transverse

nerve tracts from the cerebrum of the
forebrain to both sides of the
cerebellum.
FUNCTION OF
HINDBRAIN
1. The medulla transmits signals between
the spinal cord and the higher parts of the
brain; it also controls autonomic functions
such as heartbeat and respiration.
2. The pons is partly made up of tracts that
connect the spinal cord with higher brain
levels, and it also contains cell groups that
transfer information from the cerebrum to
the cerebellum.
3. The cerebellum, is enriched with Purkinje
cells and granule cells. Purkinje cells are
large neurons that serve a critical role in
coordinating motor activity.
CRANIAL NERVES
There are 12 pairs of cranial nerves
I. Olfactory Nerve
II. Optic Nerve
III. Oculomotor Nerve
IV. Trochlear Nerve
V. Trigeminal Nerve
VI. Abducent Nerve
VII. Facial Nerve
VIII.Vestibulocochlear Nerve
IX. Glossopharyngeal Nerve
X. Vagus Nerve
XI. Accessory Nerve
XII.Hypoglossal Nerve
 OLFACTORY NERVE
• The olfactory nerve is the first cranial nerve.
The first cranial nerve contains sensory nerves
relating to the sense of smell.
• The olfactory nerve has special olfactory
receptor neurons located in the upper portion of
the nasal cavity that pass upwards through the
cribriform plate of the ethmoid bone and then
pass to the olfactory bulb.
OLFACTORY NERVE
 OPTIC NERVE

• The optic nerve is a paired nerve, one

for each side of the body, which is
responsible for transmitting information
on visual stimulus to the brain.
• The optic nerve is also responsible for
facilitating the focusing of the eye on
objects and constricting the pupil in
response to light.
 OCCULOMOTOR NERVE
• The third cranial nerve, the oculomotor
nerve, is responsible for handling most
of the motion of the eye. It also allows
the eyelids to raise.
• The oculomotor nerve has general
somatic efferent (GSE) axons that are
responsible for handling the movement
of various skeletal muscle groups
around the eye .
 TROCHLEAR NERVE

• The function of the trochlear

nerve is to innervate the
superior oblique muscle, which
is in the region surrounding the
eye. It allows for fine, precise
movements of the eye when
tracking objects.
 TRIGEMINAL NERVE
• The trigeminal nerve is divided into three
different branches, making it the largest
nerve out of all the cranial nerves.
• The trigeminal nerve is the primary
sensory nerve in the face. It provides
sensory information about the face, it
also plays a pivotal role in allowing
functions like chewing and biting.
 ABDUCENT NERVE
• Many nerves are involved in the
operation of the eyeball due to
how complex it is.The abducens
nerve, or the sixth cranial nerve,
helps move the laterus rectus
muscle of the eye. This means that
it is involved in moving the gaze of
the eye.
 FACIAL NERVE
• The seventh cranial nerve is the facial
nerve. The facial nerve, as the name
implies, is concerned with the motion of
the face. The facial nerve enables the
wide variety of facial expressions.

• The facial nerve also carries a large

amount of sensory information to the
brain, including information regarding
taste.
 VESTIBULOCOCHLEAR
NERVE
• The eighth cranial nerve, the vestibulocochlear
nerve, is responsible for bringing information
about sound to the brain.
• The sensory cells of the ear sense information,
which is then transported along the
vestibulocochlear nerve.
• The vestibulocochlear nerve is a combination
of the vestibular nerve, which carries
information about balance, and the cochlear
nerve which carries auditory information.
GLOSSOPHARYNGEAL NERVE
• The glossopharyngeal nerve is the ninth
cranial nerve, and it has a number of
different functions regarding the mouth,
nose, and throat.
• The glossopharyngeal nerve receives
information from the middle ear, the rear
portion of the tongue, and the tonsils. It
also receives sensory information from
the carotid bodies and lets the
pharyngeal plexus move
 VAGUS NERVE
• The tenth cranial nerve is the vagus
nerve. The vagus nerve runs down from
the skull to the core of the body where it
interfaces with the digestive tract, heart,
and lungs through a number of different
branches.
• The vagus nerve supplies almost every
organ in the body with motor
parasympathetic fibers. The vagus nerve
controls a number of skeletal muscles
 ACCESSORY NERVE
• The accessory nerve, sometimes called the
spinal accessory cranial nerve, controls two
muscles in the upper body.
• The accessory nerve is involved with the
movement of the sternocleidomastoid muscle,
which allows you to turn your head.
• The accessory nerve is also responsible for the
motion of the trapezius muscle, which allows
you to move and shrug your shoulders. The
portion of the accessory nerve within the
cranium gives motor control to the muscles of
the pharynx and larynx.
 HYPOGLOSSAL NERVE
• The twelfth and final cranial nerve, the
hypoglossal nerve, is responsible for
innervating the intrinsic and extrinsic
tongue muscles.
• The nerve allows the muscles to move
and protrude the tongue, though this
nerve only has a motor function. The
nerve allows you to make the vast array
of tongue motions needed to eat, drink,
speak, and clear the mouth of saliva.
SUMMARY
CONCLUSION