Better Diagnosis Series: Know Your Cranial Nerves

[Guest guest]

Good Morning!

 

This week I have put together a series of different articles based on

helping all of us to know and understand the components in a

diagnosis and tools that may help in determining a proper and

affective way in determining the facts.

 

 

Better Diagnosis Series: Know Your Cranial Nerves

 

 

I. The Olfactory Nerve, or First Cranial Nerve, is the pathway taken

by Olfactory impulses from the Nasal mucosa to the Brain.

 

The Olfactory Tract connects the Olfactory Bulb with the Olfactory

Tubercle, where it divides into a Medial and Lateral Olfactory Tract.

 

II. The Optic Nerve, or Second Cranial Nerve, lies just Posterior and

Inferior to the Medial Olfactory Tract. It carries information from

the Eye for Vision and Ocular Reflexes.

 

III. The Oculomotor Nerve or Third Cranial Nerve, arises at the

Ventral aspect of the MesenCephalon and transverses through the

Cavernous Sinus to the Orbit.

 

It supplies all the Intrinsic Ocular Muscles and all Extrinsic Ocular

Muscles except for the Lateral Rectus and Superior Oblque. The

ParaSympathetic Fibers from this Nerve innervate the Ciliary Muscle

of the Lens and the Sphincter Muscle of the Pupil.

 

IV. The Trochlear Nerve or Fourth Cranial Nerve,supplies only the

Superior Oblique Muscle of the Eye, and it arises just below the

Inferior Quadrigeminal Bodies of the BrainStem.

 

It emerges from the Posterior aspect of the BrainStem and passes

around the Lateral side of the Cerebellar Peduncle into the Margin of

the Tentorium and into the Cavernous Sinus, where it goes to the

Orbit.

 

V. The Trigeminal Nerve or Fifth Cranial Nerve, is the Largest

Cranial Nerve, and it carries Fibers that give Sensation to the Face

and Motor Fibers to the Muscles of Mastication. It exits from the

BrainStem through the AnteroLateral surface of the Pons.

 

VI. The Abducent Nerve or Sixth Cranial Nerve, supplies the Lateral

Rectus Muscle of the Eyeball and issues from the Brain at the

Inferior border of the Pons, just above the Pyramid of the Medulla

Oblongata.

 

VII. The Facial Nerve or Seventh Cranial,consists of two parts:

 

The Motor Root, which supplies the Superficial Muscles of the Scalp,

Face, and Neck

 

A smaller Sensory Root, which contains the Afferent Taste Fibers for

the Anterior two thirds of the Tongue and the Afferent

 

ParaSympathetic Fibers for supply of the Lacrimal and Salivary Glands

The Facial Nerve arises from the Lateral aspect of the Ponto-

Medullary junction.

 

VIII. The Auditory Nerve, or Eighth Cranial Nerve, is entirely

Sensory, and consists of Vestibular and Cochlear divisions.

 

IX. The Glossopharyngeal, or Ninth Cranial Nerve is a Mixed Nerve

consisting of an Afferent part, which supplies the Pharynx and Tongue

and the Carotid Sinus and Body.

 

The Efferent part supplies the Stylopharyngeus Muscle. It arises from

the Medulla Oblongata by five or six Rootlets attached to the side of

the Medulla Oblongata, close to the Facial Nerve.

 

X. The Vagus, or Tenth Cranial Nerve is also a Mixed Nerve, which

contains a large number of ParaSympathetic Fibers and passes through

the Neck and Thorax into the Abdomen. It supplies Afferent Fibers

chiefly to the Pharynx, Esophagus, Stomach, Larynx, Trachea, and

Lungs.

 

It's attached by numerous Rootlets to the side of the Medulla

Oblongata, in series with the Accessory Nerve below and the

Glossopharyngeal Nerve above. The Rootlets unite to form a Single

Tract, which exits from the Cranial Cavity through the Jugular

Foramen.

 

XI. The Accessory Nerve, or Eleventh Cranial Nerve, consists of

Bulbar and Spinal portions. It arises in series with the Vagus and

Glossopharyngeal Nerve and controls Motor Function of the

Sternomastoid and the Trapezius Muscles.

 

XII. The Hypoglossal Nerve or Twelfth Cranial Nerve, is a

predominantly Efferent Nerve that supplies all the Muscles of the

Tongue, both Intrinsic and Extrinsic, except the Palatoglossus Muscle.

 

It arises from numerous Rootlets from the Anterior portion of the

Medulla Oblongata. The Rootlets are arranged in double bundles and

unite in the Anterior Condylar Canal, where they emerge from the

Cranial Cavity.

 

 

*Info courtesy of John Hopkins University

 

 

Andrew Pacholyk MS, L.Ac.

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