CRANIAL NERVES

12 pairs of Cranial Nerves arise from the forebrain

and the brain stem.

I I Olfactory Telencephalon
II III II Optic Diencephalon
IV
VI Cranial Nerves III through XII
V arise from the Brain Stem:
Midbrain
III Oculomotor
VII IV Trochlear
Pons
V Trigeminal
VIII VI Abducens
VII Facial
Medulla
IX VIII Vestibulocochlear
IX Glossopharyngeal
X Vagus
XII Hypoglossal
XII XI X
Cranial Nerve XI -
Spinal Accessory Nerve
arises from the Spinal Cord
3
 Drawing A shows the ventral surface of a model of a dissected human
A=Vent. brain. The cerebral cortex with its underlying white matter
View and the cerebellum have been removed.
In the forebrain the caudate (c) and putamen (p) join together
c
in the anterior, ventral area of the basal ganglia.
p

Cranial nerves:
B Dorsal view
OPTIC II
c
OCULOMOTOR III
midbrain TROCHLEAR IV th
pons TRIGEMINAL V
ABDUCENS VI
FACIAL VII

VESTIBULOCOCHLEAR VIII
medulla GLOSSOPHARYNGEAL IX
VAGUS X
HYPOGLOSSAL ROOTLETS XII

spinal SPINAL ACCESSORY XI

cord
Only the trochlear nerve IV
arises from the dorsal
surface of the brain stem.
It courses around the
midbrain to join III and VI to 4
enter the orbit.
 Cranial Nerve Nuclei

The cranial nerves innervate the

head and neck,

Cranial nerve fibers include the same

four “general” functional components
as the spinal nerves :
GSE, GVE, GVA and GSA.

In addition the head contains 1) “special”

visceral sensory organs for olfaction and taste,
2) “special” somatic sensory organs for vision,
audition, and balance, and 3) a “special”
group of muscles embryologically derived
from the branchial arches.

Thus seven functionally-distinct columns of cells

in the brain stem comprise the cranial nerve nuclei: The model shows
a “dissection” of the
GSE somatic motor cranial nerve nuclei
GVE preganglionic parasympathetic in the tegmentum of
SVE branchial motor the brain stem.
GVA visceral sensory
SVA olfaction and taste
GSA somatosensory
SSA audition and vestibular function 55
 III
MOTOR NULCEI
IV

GSE SOMATIC MOTOR V

oculomotor III
trochlear IV extraocular mm. VII
abducens VI
hypoglossal XII tongue mm.
VI
GVE PARASYMPATHETIC VII
Edinger Westphal III (not on model) IX
salivatory nuclei VII, IX
dorsal motor nucleus of X XII

SVE BRANCHIOMOTOR X
motor nuc. V mastication
Nucleus ambiguus
facial nuc. VII facial expression
IX, X and cXI
nucleus ambiguus IX, X, cXI
pharynx, larynx sXI
accessory sXI
trapezius, sternomastoid

66
 V mesencehaplic

SENSORY NULCEI V principal

sensory

SSA AUDITION AND BALANCE

vestibular VIII
cochlear VIII

VIII vestibular
GSA SOMATOSENSORY
trigeminal V: VIII cochlear
mesencephalic proprioception
principal sensory discriminative touch
spinal pain & temperature rost nuc solitarius
VII, IX, X
SVA TASTE caud nuc solitarius
IX, X
nucleus solitarius,
rostral VII, IX, X
V spinal
GVA PAIN, etc.
nucleus solitarius
caudal IX, X

77
I: OLFACTORY NERVES
II: OPTIC NERVES
III: OCULOMOTOR
IV: TROCHLEAR NERVES
V: TRIGEMINAL
VI: ABDUCENS
VII: FACIAL NERVES
VII: FACIAL
VIII: VESTIBULOCOCHLEAR
IX: GLOSSOPHARYNGEAL
X: VAGUS NERVE
XI: ACCESSORY NERVE
XII: HYPOGLOSSAL