There are 12 pairs of cranial nerves.

Olfactory I
Optic II
Oculomotor III
Trochlear IV
Trigeminal V
Abducens VI
Facial VII
Auditory (vestibulocochlear) VIII
Glossopharyngeal IX
Vagus X
Spinal Accessory XI
Hypoglossal XII

Cranial Nerve: Major Functions:

I Olfactory smell

II Optic vision

III Oculomotor eyelid and eyeball movement

innervates superior oblique
IV Trochlear
turns eye downward and laterally
chewing
V Trigeminal
face & mouth touch & pain
VI Abducens turns eye laterally

controls most facial expressions

VII Facial secretion of tears & saliva
taste
VIII Vestibulocochlear hearing
(auditory) equillibrium sensation
taste
IX Glossopharyngeal
senses carotid blood pressure
senses aortic blood pressure
slows heart rate
X Vagus
stimulates digestive organs
taste
controls trapezius & sternocleidomastoid
XI Spinal Accessory
controls swallowing movements
XII Hypoglossal controls tongue movements
There are total 12 pairs of cranial nerves that originate from our brain and brain stem. Each of them
carries different functions related to different senses of body. Apart from sensory functions there are
also some that work as motor nerves or mixed nerves. Here is a brief description of 12 cranial nerves.

1. Olfactory

This is a type of sensory nerve that contributes in the sense of smell in human being. These basically
provide the specific cells that are termed as olfactory epithelium. It carries the information from nasal
epithelium to the olfactory center in brain.

2. Optic nerve

This again is a type of sensory nerve that transforms information about vision to the brain. To be specific
this supplies information to the retina in the form of ganglion cells.

3. Oculomoter nerve

This is a form of motor nerve that supplies to different centers along midbrain. Its functions include
superiorly uplifting eyelid, superiorly rotating eyeball, construction of pupil on the exposure to light and
operating several eye muscles.

4. Trochlear

This motor nerve also supplies to the midbrain and performs the function of handling the eye muscles
and turning the eye.

5. Trigeminal

This is a type of largest cranial nerve in all and performs many sensory functions related to nose, eyes,
tongue and teeth. It basically is further divided in three branches that are ophthalmic, maxillary and
mandibular nerve. This is a type of mixed nerve that performs sensory and motor functions in brain.

6. Abducent

This is again a type of motor nerve that supplies to the pons and perform function of turning eye
laterally.

7. Facial

This motor nerve is responsible for different types of facial expressions. This also performs some
functions of sensory nerve by supplying information about touch on face and senses of tongue in mouth.
It is basically present over brain stem.

8. Vestibulocochlear
 This motor nerve is basically functional in providing information related to balance of head and sense of
sound or hearing. It carries vestibular as well as cochlear information to the brain and is placed near
inner ear.

9. Glossopharyngeal

This is a sensory nerve which carries sensory information from pharynx (initial portion of throat) and
some portion of tongue and palate. The information sent is about temperature, pressure and other
related facts.

It also covers some portion of taste buds and salivary glands. The nerve also carries some motor
functions such as helping in swallowing food.

10. Vagus

This is also a type of mixed nerve that carries both motor and sensory functions. This basically deals with
the area of pharynx, larynx, esophagus, trachea, bronchi, some portion of heart and palate. It works by
constricting muscles of the above areas. In sensory part, it contributes in the tasting ability of the human
being.

11. Spinal accessory nerve

As the name intimates this motor nerve supplies information about spinal cord, trapezius and other
surrounding muscles. It also provides muscle movement of the shoulders and surrounding neck.

12. Hypoglossal nerve

This is a typical motor nerve that deals with the muscles of tongue.

These are the 12 cranial nerves that carry many important functions in body.

Cranial Nerves and their functions

The cranial nerves are the 12 pairs of nerves that leave the brain via their own individual apertures in
the skull.

List of the Cranial Nerves

1. I Olfactory (Smell)
2. II Optic (Sight)
3. III Oculomotor (Moves eyelid and eyeball and adjusts the pupil and lens of the eye)
4. IV Trochlear (Moves eyeballs)
5. V Trigeminal (Facial muscles incl. chewing; Facial sensations)
6. VI Abducens (Moves eyeballs)
7. VII Facial (Taste, tears, saliva, facial expressions)
 8. VIII Vestibulocochlear (Auditory)
9. IX Glossopharyngeal (Swallowing, saliva, taste)
10. X Vagus (Control of PNS e.g. smooth muscles of GI tract)
11. XI Accessory (Moving head & shoulders, swallowing)
12. XII Hypoglossal (Tongue muscles - speech & swallowing)

More information about the names, numbers and functions of the 12 cranial nerves is summarized in the
following table.

Cranial Nerve Function(s) of Cranial Nerve

Number and Name

1. I olfactory Smell
(sensory)

2. II optic Vision, also called eyesight. (Each optic nerve contains approx. a
(sensory) million nerve fibres that receive information from the rod and cone cells of
the retina.)

3. III oculomotor Moves the eyeball and eyelid, adjusts the lens of the eye for near
(mixed, mainly motor) vision and also constricts the pupil of the eye via motor fibres
distributed to muscles located in and around the eye.

Parasympathetic fibres Fibres outside the eye

adjust the size of the pupil extend to the upper eye-lid and the
and the shape of the lens of extrinsic muscles that turn the eyeball in
the eye. different directions, (incl. the superior
rectus, medial rectus, inferior rectus and
inferior oblique muscles).
4. IV trochlear Moves the eyeballs by sending nerve impulses to the superior oblique
(mixed, mainly motor) muscles which are among the group of muscles that rotate the eyeballs in
their sockets. (The action of this nerve is coordinated with those of the
oculomotor and abducens nerves i.e. cranial nerves III and VI.)

5. V trigeminal This is largest cranial nerve and splits into the following 3 divisions, each
(mixed) of which includes both motor and sensory fibres.
1. Ophthalmic nerve
2. Maxillary nerve
3. Mandibular nerve
The motor fibres of all 3 divisions control the facial
muscles involved in chewing. The sensory fibres convey sensations
of touch, pain and temperature from the front of the head including
the mouth and also from the meninges.
6. VI abducens Moves the eyeballs outwards by sending nerve impulses to the lateral
(mixed, mainly motor) rectus muscles.

7. VII facial Sensory fibres are concerned with taste via the taste buds at the front of
(mixed) the tongue.
Motor fibres control secretion of tears via the lacrimal glands and
 saliva via the sublingual salivary glandsas well as facial expressions via
some of the muscles of facial expression.
A branch of the facial nerve regulates the tension on the ear ossicles.
8. VIII Two branches: Vestibular nerve (senses equilibrium) and Cochlear
vestibulocochlear nerve (hearing)
(mixed, mainly sensory)
Vestibular nerve: Cochlear nerve:
Aids equilibrium by Carries impulses from the cochlea, so is
carrying impulses from the known as the nerve of hearing.
semicircular canals -
providing info about posture,
movement and balance

9. IX Motor Fibres
glossopharyngeal  Modulate swallowing via supply to muscles of the throat
(mixed) (pharynx) area
 Parasympathetic control of secretion of saliva (via supply to the
parotid salivary glands)
Sensory Fibres
 Monitors blood pressure
 Monitors levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in blood
 Coordination of some muscle activity e.g. in some swallowing
muscles
 Sensations of taste, touch, pain and temperature from
posterior third of the tongue and tissues of the soft palate
10 X vagus Motor Fibres:
. (mixed)  Under conscious control
Stimulates voluntary muscles that effect swallowing, coughing
and speech.
 Under unconscious control
o Stimulates the contraction and relaxation of smooth
muscle in the gastrointestinal tract (GI, also called
the alimentary canal)
o Can trigger reduction (slowing) of heart-rate
o Stimulates secretion of digestive fluids
Sensory Fibres:
 Monitors blood pressure
 Monitors levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in blood
 Sensations of touch, pain and temperature from thoat area
 Sensations from visceral organs in thorax and abdomen
11 XI accessory Arises from two roots, cranial and spinal.
. (mixed, mainly motor)
Cranial parts: Controls Spinal Parts: Governs movement of the
swallowing head and shoulders by supplying
movements because nerve the sternocleidomastoid andtrapezius musc
fibres (from the cranial root les in the (anterior and posterior) regions of
of cranial nerve XI) join the the neck.
vagus nerve to form the
recurrent laryngeal nerve
which supplies the internal
laryngeal muscles.
12 XII hypoglossal Supplies the muscles of the tongue - responsible for the tongue
. (mixed, mainly motor) movements involved inspeech and swallowing