Cranial Nerves

Front 1

Olfactory Nerve

Back 1

Sense of Smell
Damage causes impaired sense of smell

Front 2

Optic Nerve

Back 2

Provides vision
Damage causes blindness in visual field

Front 3

Oculomotor Nerve

Back 3

Eye movement, opening of eyelid, constriction of pupil, focusing
Damage causes drooping eyelid, dilated pupil, double vision, difficulty focusing and inability to move eye in certain directions

Front 4

Trochlear Nerve

Back 4

eye movemement
superior oblique muscle
Damage causes double vision and inability to rotate eye inferolaterally

Front 5

Trigeminal Nerve

Back 5

sensory to face
touch, pain and temperature
Muscles of mastication
Damage produces loss of sensation and impaired chewing

Front 6

Abducens Nerve

Back 6

Provides eye movement
lateral rectus muscle
Damage results in inability to rotate eye laterally and at rest eye rotates medially

Front 7

Facial Nerve

Back 7

Motor - facial expressions; salivary glands and tear, nasal and palatine glands
Sensory - taste on anterior 2/3’s of tongue
Damage produces sagging facial muscles and disturbed sense of taste

Front 8

Vestibulocochlear Nerve

Back 8

Provides hearing and sense of balance
Damage produces deafness, dizziness, nausea, loss of balance and nystagmus

Front 9

Glossopharyngeal Nerve

Back 9

Swallowing, salivation, gagging, control of BP and respiration
Sensations from posterior 1/3 of tongue
Damage results in loss of bitter and sour taste and impaired swallowing

Front 10

Vagus Nerve

Back 10

Swallowing
Speech
Regulation of viscera
Damage causes
hoarseness or loss of voice
impaired swallowing
fatal if both are cut

Front 11

Accessory Nerve

Back 11

Swallowing, head, neck and shoulder movement
Damage causes impaired head, neck, shoulder movement
head turns towards injured side

Front 12

Hypoglossal Nerve

Back 12

Tongue movements for speech, food manipulation and swallowing
if both are damaged – can’t protrude tongue
if one side is damaged – tongue deviates towards injured side
See ipsilateral atrophy