nemonics:

"On Old Olympus Towering Top, a Fair Ancient God Viewed A Hero"

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Old - Optic: vision

Olympus - Oculomotor: eye movements
Towering - Trochlear: turns eye down and out
Top - Trigeminal: scalp and face sensation and muscles of mastication (chewing)
A - Abducens: turns eye out to the side
Fair - Facial: muscles of facial expression and sense of taste to anterior 2/3 of tongue
Ancient - Acoustic (a.k.a., Vestibulocochlear): hearing and balance
God - Glossopharyngeal: taste and sensation to the posterior 2/3 of tongue and innervates the parotid salivary gland
Viewed - Vagus: internal organs, pharynx, and larynx and taste at the root of the tongue
A - (Spinal) Accessory: sensation at the back of the head and motor to trapezius and sternocleidomastoid muscles
Hero - Hypoglossal: tongue muscles

"Some say marry money, but my brother says big brains matter most."

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On - Olfactory: smell

Words that start with S are sensory cranial nerves: I, II, VIII
M are motor nerves: III, IV, VI, XI, XII
B are both sensory and motor: V, VII, IX, X

"Great Virginia, Sweet Virginia, give gas save. SSA is 2 and 8. All the rest is GSE."

Cranial Nerves VII, IX, X:

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Great Virginia: GVA

Sweet Virginia: SVA - I, too
Give: GVE - III, too
Gas: GSA - V, too
Save: SVE - V & XI, too

SSA is 2 and 8
"All the rest is GSE: CN IV, VI, VIII, XII

Modalities:

GSE: general somatic efferent - general voluntary motor movement

to skeletal muscles
GSA: general somatic afferent - general sensory from external environment
pain, touch, and temperature
GVE: general visceral efferent - post-ganglionic sympathetic efferent fibers motor to smooth muscles and glands
GVA: general visceral afferent - general sensory from internal environment
monitors internal organs

SVE: special visceral efferent - motor to pharyngeal arch derivatives

muscles of mastication, facial expression, soft palate, larynx, and pharynx
SVA: special visceral afferent
smell and taste
SSA: special somatic afferent
vision and hearing

Foramen:

Nuclei:

CN I - Olfactory - Cribiform plate of Ethmoid Bone

CN II - Optic - Optic canal
CN III, IV, V1, VI - Oculomotor, Trochlear, Opthalmic branch of Trigeminal, Abducens - Superior orbital fissure
CN V2 - Maxillary branch of Trigeminal - Foramen rotundum
CN V3 - Mandibular branch of Trigeminal - Foramen ovale
CN VII, VIII - Facial, Vestibulocochlear - Internal acoustic meatus
CN IX, X, XI - Glossopharyngeal, Vagus, Spinal Accessory - Jugular foramen
CN XII - Hypoglossal - Hypoglossal canal

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CN I - Olfactory - SVA
CN II - Optic - SSA
CN III - Oculomotor
o Oculomotor - GSE

o Edinger-Westphal - GVE
CN IV - Trochlear - GSE (superior oblique)
CN V - Trigeminal
o Principal Sensory - GSA
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V3 - Mandibular branch - Motor Nucleus of V - BE (muscles of mastication)

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Superior Salivatory - GVE

Mesencephalic

Descending Spinal (pain and temperature of tongue)

CN VI - Abducens - GSE (lateral rectus)
CN VII - Facial
o Facial - BE/GSA (facial expression)
Nucleus Solitarius - SVA (taste to anterior 2/3 tongue)
CN VIII - Vestibulocochlear
o Vestibular - SSA (balance and proprioception)

o Cochlear - SSA (audition)

CN IX - Glossopharyngeal
o Nucleus Solitarius - SVA (posterior 1/3 tongues taste)
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Nucleus Ambiguous - BE (stylopharyngeus)

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Nucleus Ambiguous - BE (inferior pharynx and larynx)

Inferior Salivatory Nucleus - GVE (parotid gland)

GSA (posterior 1/3 tongue sensation, monitor carotid body and carotid sinus, gag reflex with motor of X)
CN X - Vagus
o Nucleus Solitarius - SVA (taste to root of tongue)
Dorsal Motor of X - GVE (motor to soft palate, pharynx, and larynx; gag reflex with IX)
CN XI - Spinal Accessory
o Cranial root - SVE/BE

o Spinal root - SVE/BE

CN XII - Hypoglossal - GSE

General location of nuclei:

Midbrain: III-IV

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III (GSE- oculomotor, GVE- Edinger-Westphal)

IV (GSE- trochlear)

Pons: V-VII

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V (mesencephalic, GSA- principal sensory)

VI (GSE- abducens)
VII (BE/GSA- facial, GVE- superior salivatory)

Medulla: V-XII (no VI)

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V (spinal nucleus of V)
V3, VII, IX, X (BE- nucleus ambiguous)
VII, IX, X (SVA- nucleus solitarius)
VIII (SSA- vestibular and cochlear)
X (SVA- dorsal motor of vagus)
XII (GSE- hypoglossal)

Spinal cord: XI (SVE)

Reflex:

Pupillary: pupils constrict when a light shines on it

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Sensory: CN II - Optic
Motor: CN III - Oculomotor

Corneal: sympathetic reflex, blink when something pokes the eye

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Sensory: CN V1 - Optic
Motor: CN VII - Oculomotor

Gag: choke-reflex

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Sensory: CN IX - Glossopharyngeal
Motor: CN X - Vagus