MedComic

Cranial Nerves

Jorge Muniz ·
Educational medical illustration of the 12 cranial nerves showing their classification as sensory, motor, or mixed — including the olfactory (CN I), optic (CN II), oculomotor (CN III), trochlear (CN IV), trigeminal (CN V), abducens (CN VI), facial (CN VII), vestibulocochlear (CN VIII), glossopharyngeal (CN IX), vagus (CN X), accessory (CN XI), and hypoglossal (CN XII) nerves
Illustrated guide to the 12 cranial nerves, their functions, and classification as pure sensory (I, II, VIII), pure motor (III, IV, VI, XI, XII), or mixed sensory and motor (V, VII, IX, X). Proprietary medical illustration by Jorge Muniz, PA-C.

The cranial nerves are numbered sequentially in relation to their position from the front of the brain to the back. There are 12 pairs of cranial nerves which emerge from the underside of the brain and pass through the foramina in the base of the skull.

Cranial nerves I, II, and VIII are pure sensory nerves. Cranial nerves III, IV, VI, XI, and XII are pure motor nerves. Cranial nerves V, VII, IX, and X are mixed sensory and motor nerves.

  1. Olfactory nerve (CN I): Contains special sensory neurons concerned with smell.
  2. Optic nerve (CN II): Contains sensory neurons dedicated to vision.
  3. Oculomotor nerve (CN III): Provides motor function for all eye muscles except those supplied by cranial nerves IV and VI.
  4. Trochlear nerve (CN IV): Provides motor function to the superior oblique muscle of the eye.
  5. Trigeminal nerve (CN V): Is the principal sensory supply to the head (face, teeth, sinuses, etc.); it also provides motor function to the muscles of mastication.
  6. Abducens nerve (CN VI): Provides motor function to the lateral rectus muscle of the eye.
  7. Facial nerve (CN VII): Provides motor innervation to the muscles of facial expression, lacrimal gland, submaxillary gland, sublingual gland, as well as sensory supply to the anterior two-thirds of the tongue.
  8. Acoustic nerve (CN VIII): Also known as the vestibulocochlear nerve, provides sensory innervation for hearing and equilibrium.
  9. Glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX): Provides motor innervation to the pharyngeal musculature and sensory function to the posterior one-third of the tongue and pharynx.
  10. Vagus nerve (CN X): Provides motor innervation to the heart, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract. It also provides sensory innervation to the heart, respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, and external ear.
  11. Accessory nerve (CN XI): Provides motor function to the sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles.
  12. Hypoglossal nerve (CN XII): Is a pure motor nerve that innervates the muscles of the tongue.

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