Cranial nerve I


Cranial nerve I: The first nerve to emerge from or enter the skull (the cranium). (There are twelve cranial nerves.) The first cranial nerve is the olfactory nerve which permits the sense of smell. See: Olfactory nerve.

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    Cranial nerve III: The third cranial nerve is the oculomotor nerve. The cranial nerves emerge from or enter the skull (the cranium), as opposed to the spinal nerves which emerge from the vertebral column. There are twelve cranial nerves. The oculomotor nerve is responsible for the nerve supply to muscles about the eye: The upper […]

  • Cranial nerve IV

    Cranial nerve IV: The fourth cranial nerve, the trochlear nerve, is the nerve supply to the superior oblique muscle of the eye, one of the muscles that moves the eye. Paralysis of the trochlear nerve results in rotation of the eyeball upward and outward (and, therefore, double vision). The twelve cranial nerves, the trochlear nerve […]

  • Cranial nerve IX

    Cranial nerve IX: The ninth cranial nerve is the glossopharyngeal nerve. The 12 cranial nerves, the glossopharyngeal nerve included, emerge from or enter the skull (the cranium), as opposed to the spinal nerves which emerge from the vertebral column. The glossopharyngeal nerve supplies the tongue, throat, and one of the salivary glands (the parotid gland). […]

  • Cranial nerve V

    Cranial nerve V: The fifth cranial nerve is the trigeminal nerve. The trigeminal nerve is quite complex. It functions both as the chief nerve of sensation for the face and the motor nerve controlling the muscles of mastication (chewing). Problems with the sensory part of the trigeminal nerve result in pain or loss of sensation […]

  • Cranial nerve VI

    Cranial nerve VI: The sixth cranial nerve is the abducens nerve. It is a small motor nerve that has one task: to supply a muscle called the lateral rectus muscle that moves the eye outward. Paralysis of the abducens nerve causes inward turning of the eye (internal strabismus) leading to double vision. The cranial nerves, […]


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