The Sheep Brain: Cranial Nerves

Published: 29.06.2013

There are twelve cranial nerves, and they are not easy to remember. The fact that some are motor nerves, others sensory nerves, and still others both does not make things any easier. Here is an overview. With a musical mnemonic device!

And an addendum, also for students: The hypoglossal nerve (XII) is traditionally classified as a purely motor nerve. However, there is now debate as to whether it might not be sensorimotor after all. It is also listed as such in Trepel.

Choose English subtitles.

cranial

A positional term – cranial means "towards the head." In relation to the nervous system, it refers to a direction along the neural axis, i.e., forward.
In animals (without upright gait), the designation is simpler, as it always means forward. Due to the upright gait of humans, the brain bends in relation to the spinal cord, where cranial also means "upward."

cranial

A positional term – cranial means "towards the head." In relation to the nervous system, it refers to a direction along the neural axis, i.e., forward.
In animals (without upright gait), the designation is simpler, as it always means forward. Due to the upright gait of humans, the brain bends in relation to the spinal cord, where cranial also means "upward."

Subjects

Author

Scientific support

License Terms

This content is available under the following conditions of use.

BY-NC: Namensnennung, nicht kommerziell

Recommended articles