Cranial Nerves Flashcards
1
Q
What are all the special sensory cranial nerves?
A
CNI, CNII, CNVII, CNVIII, CNIX
2
Q
What modalities does CNI contain?
A
Special sensory
3
Q
What modalities does CNII contain?
A
Special sensory
4
Q
What modalities does CNIII contain?
A
Motor and parasympathetics
5
Q
What modalities does CNIV contain?
A
Motor
6
Q
What modalities does CNV contain?
A
Sensory in all branches, motor in CNV3
7
Q
What modalities does CNVI contain?
A
Motor
8
Q
What modalities does CNVII contain?
A
Motor, special sensory and parasympathetics
9
Q
What modalities does CNVIII contain?
A
Special sensory
10
Q
What modalities does CNIX contain?
A
Sensory, special sensory, motor and parasympathetics
11
Q
What modalities does CNX contain?
A
Sensory, motor, parasympathetics
12
Q
What modalities does CNXII contain?
A
Motor
13
Q
Which of the cranial nerves connect with the CNS at the midbrain?
A
Oculomotor and trochlear
14
Q
Which of the cranial nerves connect with the CNS at the pons?
A
Trigeminal
15
Q
Which of the cranial nerves connect with the CNS at the ponto-medullary junction?
A
Abducens, facial and vestibulocochlear
16
Q
Which of the cranial nerves connect with the CNS at the spinal cord?
A
Spinal accessory
17
Q
What defines the ‘intracranial’ part of a cranial nerve course?
A
Between their point of connection with the CNS and their base of skull foramina
18
Q
What cranial cavity does CNI pass through? In which cranial fossa is this?
A
Cribriform plate of the ethmoid bone - anterior cranial fossa
19
Q
Where do the olfactory nerves synapse? They then travel through where to reach their cortical areas?
A
Olfactory bulb / olfactory tract
20
Q
Intracranially, CNII travels around the pituitary stalk to what structure? It then forms what structure?
A
The optic chiasm / the optic tract
21
Q
Where does the optic nerve connect with the CNS?
A
At the diencephalon
22
Q
How would you test the olfactory nerve?
A
Ask the patient to smell a familiar smell while covering the other nostril
23
Q
How would you test the optic nerve?
A
Visual acuity, colour vision, visual fields, fundoscopy, pupillary light reflexes
24
Q
What is the parasympathetic function of CNIII? What muscle is this via?
A
Pupillary constriction via sphincter pupillae
25
Which base of skull foramina does the oculomotor nerve pass through?
Superior orbital fissure
26
How can you test the parasympathetic function of CNIII?
Pupillary light reflexes for pupillary constriction
27
What is the motor function of the trochlear nerve?
Eye movement - superior oblique muscle
28
Which cranial nerves travel along the lateral wall of the cavernous sinus?
Oculomotor and trochlear nerves
29
Which cranial nerve travels within the cavernous sinus?
Abducens nerve
30
What is the motor function of the abducens nerve?
Eye movement via the lateral rectus muscle
31
How would the oculomotor, trochlear and abducens nerve all be tested for?
The H test to assess eye movements
32
The vestibulocochlear nerve is responsible for what?
Hearing and balance
33
Which base of skull foramina does the vestibulocochlear nerve pass through? Which cranial fossa is this in?
Internal acoustic meatus - posterior cranial fossa
34
How is the vestibulocohlear nerve tested for?
Rhinne and Weber's tests
35
The spinal accessory nerve ascends through which base of skull foramina? And then travels towards which base of skull foramina?
Foramen magnum / jugular foramen
36
How is the spinal accessory nerve tested?
Ask patients to shrug their shoulders and turn their head against resistance
37
What is the motor function of the hypoglossal nerve?
Motor function to the muscles of the tongue
38
Where does the hypoglossal nerve connect with the CNS in relation to the pyramids of the medulla?
Laterally
39
Describe the extracranial part of the hypoglossal nerve?
Descends lateral to the carotid sheath and then turns anteriorly at the level of the hyoid bone towards the lateral aspect of the tongue
40
The hypoglossal nerve innervates all muscles ending in glossus except which one?
Palatoglossus
41
If there is unilateral hypoglossal nerve pathology, what direction will the tongue face when asked to stick it out straight?
Towards the side of the injured nerve
42
Which base of skull foramina does CNV1 pass through?
Superior orbital fissure
43
Which base of skull foramina does CNV3 pass through?
Foramen ovale
44
What is the motor function of CNV3?
The muscles of mastication, tensor veli palatini and tensor tympani
45
What is the one pair of jaw opening muscles supplied by the trigeminal nerve?
Lateral pterygoid
46
Which aspect of the trigeminal nerve is responsible for the afferent part of the corneal reflex?
CNV1
47
Which base of skull foramina does the facial nerve pass a) IN b) OUT?
a) Internal acoustic meatus b) stylomastoid foramen
48
What is the motor function of the facial nerve?
Muscles of facial expression
49
The chorda tympani is a branch of which cranial nerve?
Facial nerve
50
What is the function of the chorda tympani?
Taste supply to the anterior 2/3rds of the tongue AND parasympathetics to the submandibular and sublingual glands
51
What supplies the stapedius muscle in the inner ear?
Facial nerve
52
What is the function of the tensor tympani muscle?
Reduces the noise produced by chewing
53
What two nerves combine to form the lingual nerve?
Chorda tympani branch of the facial nerve and CNV3
54
How can the motor function of CNVII be tested?
Ask patient to close eyes tightly, raise eyebrows, smile, puff out cheeks, whistle
55
What nerve supplies taste sensation to a) the anterior 2/3rds of tongue? b) the posterior 1/3rd of tongue?
a) Facial nerve b) Glossopharyngeal nerve
56
Which base of skull foramina does the glossopharyngeal nerve pass through?
Jugular foramen
57
From which structures does the glossopharyngeal nerve ascend towards the jugular foramen?
The pharyngeal mucosa, carotid body and sinus, posterior 1/3rd of tongue
58
Which cranial nerve is responsible for taste sensation to the vallate papillae of the posterior 1/3rd of the tongue?
Glossopharyngeal
59
What is the only motor function of the glossopharyngeal nerve?
Stylopharyngeus muscle
60
Where does the glossopharyngeal nerve send visceral afferents to?
The carotid sinus baroreceptors and carotid body chemoreceptors
61
Which cranial nerve is responsible for referred pain between the pharynx and the ear?
Glossopharyngeal
62
The axons of the vagus nerve supply lots of structures between where?
The palate and the midgut
63
The vagus nerve runs inferiorly to the thorax and then does what?
Gives off the recurrent laryngeal nerve to turn back superiorly to the muscles of the larynx
64
The right recurrent laryngeal nerve curves under where?
The right subclavian artery
65
The vagus nerve passes through the diaphragm with what structure? At what spinal level?
Oesophagus - T10
66
The vagus nerves very last parasympathetic axons pass to where?
The splenic flexure of the colon
67
What nerve forms the efferent limb of the gag reflex?
Vagus nerve
68
When testing the vagus nerve you should ask the patient to say ahh - what will happen to the uvula if there is unilateral vagus nerve pathology?
The uvula will move away from the affected side
69
Apart from saying ahh and observing the uvula, what are some other ways of testing the vagus nerve?
Ask patient to swallow, and listen to their speech for hoarseness
70
What modalities does CNXI contain?
Motor
71
Which of the cranial nerves connect with the CNS at the medulla?
Glossopharyngeal, vagus and hypoglossal
72
Which base of skull foramina does CNII pass through? In which cranial fossa is this?
Optic canal in the middle cranial fossa
73
What is the motor function of the oculomotor nerve?
Eye movements (superior and inferior rectus, medial rectus, inferior oblique) and levator palpebrae superioris
74
Where do the parasympathetics of the oculomotor nerve synapse?
The ciliary ganglion
75
What base of skull foramina does the trochlear nerve pass through?
Superior orbital fissure
76
What base of skull foramina does the abducens nerve pass through?
Superior orbital fissure
77
What muscles are supplied by the spinal accessory nerve?
Trapezius and sternocleidomastoid
78
Which base of skull foramina does the hypoglossal nerve pass through?
Hypoglossal canal
79
What nerve innervates the palatoglossus muscle?
Vagus nerve
80
Which base of skull foramina does CNV2 pass through?
Foramen rotundum
81
What are the 3 pairs of jaw closing muscles supplied by CNV3?
Masseter, temporalis and medial pterygoids
82
The facial nerve spends most of its time within what bone of the skull?
Temporal bone
83
What are the muscles of facial expression which are supplied by the facial nerve?
Orbicularis oculi, orbicularis oris, frontalis and elevators of lips
84
From the jugular foramen, the glossopharyngeal nerve sends motor/parasympathetic axons to where?
The stylopharyngeus muscle and the parotid gland
85
What is the parasympathetic function of the glossopharyngeal nerve?
Parotid gland (secretory)
86
Which cranial nerve is responsible for forming the afferent limb of the gag reflex?
Glossopharyngeal
87
What base of skull foramina does the vagus nerve run through?
The jugular foramen
88
Which cranial nerve runs within the carotid sheath?
Vagus
89
The left recurrent laryngeal nerve curves under where?
The arch of the aorta
90
The majority of cranial nerves exit their base of skull foramina anteriorly - what are the exceptions to this?
Trochlear exits posteriorly and vestibulocochlear exits laterally
91
The soma of sensory nerve cells within cranial nerves will be found where?
In ganglia outside the CNS
92
Nuclei for the motor cranial nerves are found near where?
The midline of the brainstem
93
Which cranial nerve nuclei are in the midbrain?
Oculomotor and trochlear
94
Which cranial nerve nuclei are in the pons?
Trigeminal and abducens
95
Which cranial nerve nuclei are in the medulla?
Glossopharyngeal nerve, vagus nerve, spinal accessory nerve, hypoglossal nerve
96
Which cranial nerve nuclei is located on the border of the pons and medulla?
Facial nerve
97
What is the solitary nucleus responsible for?
Taste and visceral sensory information
98
What are the superior and inferior salivatory nuclei responsible for?
Parasympathetics to salivary glands
99
What is the nucleus ambiguus responsible for?
Motor supply to the muscles of the pharynx, larynx and upper oesophagus
100
What spinal cord tract is responsible for the motor input to cranial nerves?
Corticobulbar tract
