THERE ARE 12 PAIRS OF CRANIAL NERVES. THEY EACH EMERGE SEPARATELY FROM
THE BRAIN STEM, WHICH IS THE LOWER PART OF THE BRAIN THAT LINKS THE
BRAIN WITH THE SPINAL CORD.
EACH CRANIAL NERVE HAS A SPECIFIC SET OF FUNCTIONS. SOME OF THE CRANIAL NERVES CONTROL
SENSATION, SOME CONTROL MUSCLE MOVEMENT, AND SOME HAVE BOTH SENSORY AND MOTOR
EFFECTS.
SEVERAL OF THE CRANIAL NERVES RUN THROUGH BONES IN THE SKULL. THE CRANIAL NERVES CAN
BECOME TEMPORARILY OR CHRONICALLY IMPAIRED AS A RESULT OF ILLNESS, INFECTION,
INFLAMMATION, OR HEAD TRAUMA.
THIS ARTICLE GIVES AN OVERVIEW OF EACH PAIR OF CRANIAL NERVES, INCLUDING ITS ANATOMY,
LOCATION, FUNCTIONS, AND RELATED CONDITIONS.