Cranial Nerves

Olfactory

I. Conducts impulses from nose to brain. Function: Sense of smell.

Optic

II. Conducts inpulses from eye to brain. Function: Vision.

Oculomotor

III. Conducts impulses from brain to eye muscles. Function: eye movements.

Trochlear

IV. Conducts impulses from brain to external eye muscles. Function: eye movements.

Glossopharyngeal

IX. Conducts impulses from the throat and taste buds of tongue to the brain. Also from the brain to throat muscles and salivary glands. Function: Sensations of throat, taste,swallowing movements, and secreations of saliva.

Trigeminal

V. Conducts impulses from skin to mucous membrane of head and from teeth to brain. Also from brain to chewing muscles. Function: Sensations of face, scalp, and teerth; chewing movements.

Abducens

VI. Conducts impulses from brain to external eye muscles. Function: eye movements.

Facial

VII. Conducts impulses from tste buds of tongue to brain. Also from brain to face muscles. Function: Sense of tast; Contraction of muscles of facial expression.

Vestibulocochlear

VIII. Conducts impulses from ear to brain. Function: Hearing; sense of balance.

Vagus

X. Conducts impulses from the throat, larynx, and organs in the thoracic and abdominal cavities to the brain. Also from the brain to the throat, larynx, and organs in the thoracic and abdominal cavities. Function: sesations of throat and larynx and of thoracic and abdominal organs; swallowing, voice production, slowing of heart beat, acceleration of perstalsis (gut movements)

Accessory

XI. Conducts impulses from the brain to certain shoulder and neck muscles. Function: Shoulder movements; turning movements of the head.

Hypoglossal

XII. Conducts impulses from the brain to muscles of the tongue. Function: tongue movements.