Cranial Nerves Need to Know

List of cranial nerves
#	Name	Sensory,	Function
		Motor
		or Both
I	Olfactory nerve	Purely Sensory	Transmits the sense of smell; Located in olfactory foramina in the Cribriform plate of ethmoid
II	Optic Nerve	Purely Sensory	Transmits visual information to the brain; Located in optic canal
III	Oculomotor nerve	Mainly Motor	Innervates levator palpebrae superioris, superior rectus, medial rectus, inferior rectus, and inferior oblique, which collectively perform most eye movements; Also innervates m. sphincter pupillae. Located in superior orbital fissure
IV	Trochlear nerve	Mainly Motor	Innervates the superior oblique muscle, which depresses, rotates laterally (around the optic axis), and intorts the eyeball; Located in superior orbital fissure
V	Trigeminal nerve	Both Sensory and Motor	Receives sensation from the face and innervates the muscles of mastication; Located in superior orbital fissure (ophthalmic nerve - V1), foramen rotundum (maxillary nerve - V2), and foramen ovale (mandibular nerve - V3)
VI	Abducens nerve	Mainly Motor	Innervates the lateral rectus, which abducts the eye; Located in superior orbital fissure
VII	Facial nerve	Both Sensory and Motor	Provides motor innervation to the muscles of facial expression, posterior belly of the digastric muscle, and stapedius muscle, receives the special sense of taste from the anterior 2/3 of the tongue, and provides secretomotor innervation to the salivary glands (except parotid) and the lacrimal gland; Located and runs through internal acoustic canal to facial canal and exits at stylomastoid foramen
VIII	Vestibulocochlear nerve	Mostly sensory	Senses sound, rotation and gravity (essential for balance & movement). More specifically. the vestibular branch carries impulses for equilibrium and the cochlear branch carries impulses for hearing.; Located in internal acoustic canal
IX	Glossopharyngeal nerve	Both Sensory and Motor	Receives taste from the posterior 1/3 of the tongue, provides secretomotor innervation to the parotid gland, and provides motor innervation to the stylopharyngeus. Some sensation is also relayed to the brain from the palatine tonsils. Sensation is relayed to opposite thalamus and some hypothalamic nuclei. Located in jugular foramen
X	Vagus nerve	Both Sensory and Motor	Supplies branchiomotor innervation to most laryngeal and all pharyngeal muscles (except the stylopharyngeus, which is innervated by the glossopharyngeal); provides parasympathetic fibers to nearly all thoracic and abdominal viscera down to the splenic flexure; and receives the special sense of taste from the epiglottis. A major function: controls muscles for voice and resonance and the soft palate. Symptoms of damage: dysphagia (swallowing problems), velopharyngeal insufficiency. Located in jugular foramen
XI	Accessory nerve	Mainly Motor	Controls sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles, overlaps with functions of the vagus. Examples of symptoms of damage: inability to shrug, weak head movement; Located in jugular foramen
XII	Hypoglossal nerve	Mainly Motor	Provides motor innervation to the muscles of the tongue (except for the palatoglossus, which is innervated by the vagus) and other glossal muscles. Important for swallowing (bolus formation) and speech articulation. Located in hypoglossal canal