Cranial Nerves 1 Questions and Answers
Why are they called cranial nerves? - ✔ because they exit the brain rather than the
spinal cord (except cranial nerve 11)
What does the occulomotor nerve control? - ✔ CN 3- controls most extraocular
muscles, 2/3 of intraocular muscles (except the dilators which are sympathetic)
What does the trochlear control? - ✔ CN4 just the superior oblique
What does the abducens nerve control? - ✔ CN 6 innervates the lateral rectus
What does the facial nerve control? How to test? - ✔ CN 7-all the muscles of the facial
expression, all the glands of the head that receive parasympathetic innervation
EXCEPT the parotid salvatory gland
-have patient make facial expressions at you and look for symmetry, and taste
What does the vestibularcochlear nerve do? How to test? - ✔ CN8- special sense of
sound and position and gravity
-hearing test and balance
What does the Glossopharangeal nerve do? How to test? - ✔ CN 9- relating to tongue
and pharanx
-inducing gag
What does the vagus nerve do? - ✔ CN10- Wonderer, controls the voice box, and
pharanx, but mainly thoracic and abdominal organs
(comes up through foramen magnum then back out through jugular foramen)
What does the hypoglossal do? How to test? - ✔ CN 12-controls all the intrinsic
muscles of the tongue and extrinsic muscles of the tongue except one
test- have patient stick tongue out and move about
When looking at 9,10, and 11, how can you tell them apart? - ✔ 9 is smallest, 10 is
biggest, and 11 comes from the foramen magnum
What does the olfactory nerve do? How to test? - ✔ smell
smell test- unilaterally
What does the optic nerve do? How to test? - ✔ vision- with visual fields
How to test cranial nerve 3, 4, and 6? - ✔ with the H test!
, How to test CN 5? - ✔ sensation test in opthalmic region, maxillary, and mandibular
region, also does the muscles of mastication!-move jaw up and down
What does spinal accessory do? and how to test? - ✔ innervates 2 skeletal muscles-
trapezius and sternoclitomastoid
Where in general are the cranial nerves nucleuses located in the brainstem? - ✔
Midbrain: 3,4 and parts of 5
Pons: part of 5, 6,7,8
Medulla: part of 5, 9, 10, (11) and 12
What do the 4 parasympathetic ganglion hang off of and which division? - ✔ All hang off
the trigeminal nerve
1. Ciliary ganglion- opthalmic
2. Pterygopalatine- maxillary
3. Otic- mandible
4. Submandibular- mandible
What is the sympathetic ganglion? - ✔ superior cervical ganglion
What does the sympathetic nervous system provide to the head and neck? - ✔ motor
(efferent postganlionic) components throughout the head and neck by running along
arteries (internal and external carotids) and cranial nerves from the superior cervical
ganglion
What are the two exceptions to the rule that most postganglionic sympathetic neurons
innervate head and neck structures by hitch hiking along blood vessels? - ✔ 1) deep
petrosal nerves
2) long ciliary nerves
(don't run on blood vessels)
What is nasociliary nerve a branch of? - ✔ V1 (opthalmic)
Summarize Long ciliary and short ciliary through innervation and function - ✔ Long
ciliary come from nasociliary nerve (branch off of V1), they carry parasympathetic
afferent information (pain and general sensation) from the cornea to the CNS
Sympathetic innervates the dilator pupillae
Parasympathetic from the occulomotor (3) nerve travels through the ciliary ganglion
where it synapses and becomes postganglionic short ciliary nerves that constrict 2
muscles- sphincter pupillae and the ciliary body (which help with seeing up close!)
Describe cranial nerve 1: Function, location, and projects to - ✔ Olfactory nerve:
Function- sense of smell
Why are they called cranial nerves? - ✔ because they exit the brain rather than the
spinal cord (except cranial nerve 11)
What does the occulomotor nerve control? - ✔ CN 3- controls most extraocular
muscles, 2/3 of intraocular muscles (except the dilators which are sympathetic)
What does the trochlear control? - ✔ CN4 just the superior oblique
What does the abducens nerve control? - ✔ CN 6 innervates the lateral rectus
What does the facial nerve control? How to test? - ✔ CN 7-all the muscles of the facial
expression, all the glands of the head that receive parasympathetic innervation
EXCEPT the parotid salvatory gland
-have patient make facial expressions at you and look for symmetry, and taste
What does the vestibularcochlear nerve do? How to test? - ✔ CN8- special sense of
sound and position and gravity
-hearing test and balance
What does the Glossopharangeal nerve do? How to test? - ✔ CN 9- relating to tongue
and pharanx
-inducing gag
What does the vagus nerve do? - ✔ CN10- Wonderer, controls the voice box, and
pharanx, but mainly thoracic and abdominal organs
(comes up through foramen magnum then back out through jugular foramen)
What does the hypoglossal do? How to test? - ✔ CN 12-controls all the intrinsic
muscles of the tongue and extrinsic muscles of the tongue except one
test- have patient stick tongue out and move about
When looking at 9,10, and 11, how can you tell them apart? - ✔ 9 is smallest, 10 is
biggest, and 11 comes from the foramen magnum
What does the olfactory nerve do? How to test? - ✔ smell
smell test- unilaterally
What does the optic nerve do? How to test? - ✔ vision- with visual fields
How to test cranial nerve 3, 4, and 6? - ✔ with the H test!
, How to test CN 5? - ✔ sensation test in opthalmic region, maxillary, and mandibular
region, also does the muscles of mastication!-move jaw up and down
What does spinal accessory do? and how to test? - ✔ innervates 2 skeletal muscles-
trapezius and sternoclitomastoid
Where in general are the cranial nerves nucleuses located in the brainstem? - ✔
Midbrain: 3,4 and parts of 5
Pons: part of 5, 6,7,8
Medulla: part of 5, 9, 10, (11) and 12
What do the 4 parasympathetic ganglion hang off of and which division? - ✔ All hang off
the trigeminal nerve
1. Ciliary ganglion- opthalmic
2. Pterygopalatine- maxillary
3. Otic- mandible
4. Submandibular- mandible
What is the sympathetic ganglion? - ✔ superior cervical ganglion
What does the sympathetic nervous system provide to the head and neck? - ✔ motor
(efferent postganlionic) components throughout the head and neck by running along
arteries (internal and external carotids) and cranial nerves from the superior cervical
ganglion
What are the two exceptions to the rule that most postganglionic sympathetic neurons
innervate head and neck structures by hitch hiking along blood vessels? - ✔ 1) deep
petrosal nerves
2) long ciliary nerves
(don't run on blood vessels)
What is nasociliary nerve a branch of? - ✔ V1 (opthalmic)
Summarize Long ciliary and short ciliary through innervation and function - ✔ Long
ciliary come from nasociliary nerve (branch off of V1), they carry parasympathetic
afferent information (pain and general sensation) from the cornea to the CNS
Sympathetic innervates the dilator pupillae
Parasympathetic from the occulomotor (3) nerve travels through the ciliary ganglion
where it synapses and becomes postganglionic short ciliary nerves that constrict 2
muscles- sphincter pupillae and the ciliary body (which help with seeing up close!)
Describe cranial nerve 1: Function, location, and projects to - ✔ Olfactory nerve:
Function- sense of smell
