Cranial Nerves Flashcards
Cranial Nerve 1
Sense Of Smell
* Make sure each nasal passage is open
* Get them to close their eyes and block one nostril
* Get them to identify smell
* Test using familiar smells (e.g. coffee)
Cranial nerve 2,3,4,6
Assess eye function
(1) Visual acuity
o Snellen chart
(2) Visual field
o Wiggle test
(3) Light reflex: direct, consensual
o Shining a light into the eye and seeing if the pupil dilates
(4) Accommodation
o Cover one eye
o Far to close
(5) Extraocular movements
o Double H
Cranial Nerve 5
Facial Sensation
V1, V2, V3 - Light touch perception, sharp vs dull differentiation
o Use cotton bud for dull pain and other side for sharp pain
o Test forehead, middle cheek and lower cheek
o Use wisp of cotton to test light touch
Corneal reflex
o shine a light into the the eye and see if the light reflex from the eye
Muscles of mastication
- Motor tests
o Jaw clenching
o Jaw opening
o Lateral Jaw movement
- Jaw jerk reflex
o Get pt to have jaw slightly open
o Place finger on chin and strike with reflex hammer
o Look for closing of jaw
Cranial Nerve 7
Muscles of facial expression
-Motor tests for all facial muscles
o Show teeth
o Close eyes tightly
o Wrinkle forehead
o Puff out cheeks
o Tense neck muscles
Cranial Nerve 8
Hearing test
- Rubbing fingers together
- Whispered voice test (nine x one)
- Weber & Rinne test
-Place tuning fork (256)
on forehead and ask
for lateralisation
-Place tuning fork on
mastoid bone
-Remove when no sound
can be heard
-Ask if pt can hear tuning
fork
Balance test
* Romberg’s test
-Get pt to stand with
shoes off and hands
by their side
-Get them to hold for
30 seconds
-Repeat with eyes
closed
Cranial Nerve 9,10
Motor supply to soft palate
* “Say ahhhh”
* Swallowing
Cranial Nerve 11
Motor tests
-Upper trapezius
o Ask pt to shrug shoulders against force
- SCM
o Ask pt to turn chin into hands
Cranial Nerve 12
Motor tests
-Tongue protrusion: forward, laterally
