Lecture 4.1 - The Skull and Overview of Cranial Nerves Flashcards
What is the neurocranium?
- houses brain
- calvaria (skullcap)
- cranial base (basicranium)
What is the viscerocranium?
- facial bones that form:
- orbits
- nasal cavities
- upper jaw
- lower jaw (mandible)
What are the bones of the neurocranium and their location?
- frontal (forehead)
- parietal (2)
- temporal (2)
- mastoid process, styloid process, external acoustic meatus
- occipital (back of head)
- external occipital protuberance
- sphenoid (butterfly)
- ethmoid
What are the sutures of the neurocranium and which bones do they split?
- Coronal: frontal and parietal
- Lambdoid: parietal and occipital
- Sagittal: R & L parietal
- Squamous: parietal and temporal
What are the intersections of the cranial sutures?
- Bregma: sagittal and coronal
- Lambda: lambdoid and sagittal
- Pterion: frontal, parietal, temporal, sphenoid
- Asterion: parietal, occipital, temporal
- Nasion: frontal and nasal bones
What occurs if the pterion is fractured?
Fracture to pterioni may tear the middle meningeal artery leading to an epidural hematoma
Where are the Glabella? Vertex? Inion?
- Glabella: most anterior part of forehead
- Vertex: superiormost post of neurocranum
- Inion: most prominent point of external occipital protuberance
What bones make up the anterior fossa?
- frontal bone
- ethmoid bone
- part of sphenoid bone (lesser wing)
What bones make up the middle fossa?
Sphenoid (greater wing/body) Temporal bone (squamous and petrous part)
What bones make up the posterior fossa?
Temporal bone (petrous part) Occipital bone
What holes are in the anterior fossa?
cribriform plate (ethmoid)
What holes are in the middle fossa?
All sphenoid
- optic foramen
- superior orbital fissure
- foramen rotundum/ovale/spinosum/lacerum
What holes are in the posterior fossa?
- internal acoustic meatus (temporal)
- jugular foramen (between temporal and occipital)
- hypoglossal canal (occipital)
- foramen magnum (occipital)
What are the characteristics for the sphenoid bone?
- it is a key in cranial skeleton
- it articulates with 8 bones
- has a central body, 2 wings laterally and 2 processes inferiorly
Where is the pituitary gland?
within the hypophysis in the sella turcica (body of sphenoid)
What are the bones of the viscerocranium?
- lacrimal (2)
- nasal (2)
- zygomatic (2)
- palatin (2)
- inferior nasal conchae (2)
- mandible
- vomer
What bones form the orbit wall?
- frontal bone
- ethmoid bone
- lacrimal
- maxilla
- palatine
- zygomatic
- sphenoid (greater/lesser wing)
- superior/inferior orbital fissure
What bones form the nasal cavity?
- nasal
- maxillae
- inferior nasal conchae
- ethmoid (middle/superior nasal conchae and perpendicular plate)
- vomer
What are the other important holes in the face?
- Supraorbital notch/foramen (frontal): V1 trigeminal exits (ophthalmic nerve) supplying forehead sensory
- Infraorbital foramen (maxilla): V2 trigeminal exits supplying mid face sensory
- Mental foramen (mandible): V3 trigeminal supplying mandible sensory
What are cranial nerves?
- nerves originating from brain or brainstem and exiting through foramina or fissures in the cranium
- 12 pairs (CN1 - XII - anterior to posterior)
What do cranial nerves variously carry nerve fibers for?
- somatic motor (movement of eyes, mastication, deglutition, respiration, vocalization, facial expression)
- general sensory (pain, pressure, temperature) to tissues
- special sensory (olfaction, vision, gustation, audition, equilibrium)
- parasympathetic motor (to lacrimal, salivary, and mucous glands and smooth muscles of eye)
Olfactory Nerves (CN, Function, Innervation, Exit)
CN I
F: special sensory - smell
I: olfactory epithelium of superior nasal cavity
E: cribriform plate of ethmoid
Optic Nerves (CN, Function, Innervation, Exit)
CN II
F: special sensory - vision
I: retina of the eye
E: optic foramen (sphenoid bone)
What are the visual fields of retina?
- optic nerve of each eye: temporal field, nasal fidl
- optic chiasm: decussation of temporal fields of view
- optic tracts: left (information from R fields of both eyes), right (information from left fields of both eyes)
What does defect of right optic nerve cause?
blindness of one eye (anopsia)
What is does defect of optic chiasm cause?
loss of peripheral visual fields (bitemporal hemianopsia; “tunnel vision”
What does defect at right optic tract cause?
loss of visual field on opposite side (homonymous hemianopsia)
Oculomotor nerve (CN, Function, Innervation, Exit)
CN III
Function/Innervates:
- somatic motor:
– all eye muscles except superior oblique (CN IV) and lateral rectus (CN VI)
– levator palpebrae superioris (muscle that raises eyelids)
- parasympathetic - constriction of pupils; change shape of lens (accommodation)
Cranial Exit: superior orbital fissure of sphenoid
What does complete paralysis of CN III cause?
leads to dilated pupils, ptosis (droopy eyelids), and inability to move eye upward, downward, and medially
Trochlear Nerves (CN, Function, Innervation, Exit)
CN IV
F: somatic motor - eye movement
I: superior oblique muscles of the eye
E: superior orbital fissure of sphenoid
What occurs when trochlear nerve is injured?
patient unable to look downward and inward; says “has difficulty walking downstairs”
Abducent/Abducens Nerve (CN, Function, Innervation, Exit)
CN VI
F: somatic motor - eye movement
I: lateral rectus muscle
E: superior orbital fissure of sphenoid
What occurs when abducent nerve is injured?
patient has medial strabismus (deviation); unable to abduct the eye
What are the 3 division of Trigeminal nerve and its CN number?
CN V
V1 ophthalmic
V2 maxillary
V3 mandibular
V1 Ophthalmic division of Trigeminal nerve (Function, Innervation, Exit)
F: general sensory
I: conjunctiva and cornea of eye, nasal cavity, skin of scalp, forehead, eyebrows, upper eyelid, and part of external nose
E: superior orbital fissure of sphenoid
What branches of V1 are seen in orbit?
lacrimal nerve and frontal nerve (divides into supraorbital nerve and supratrochlear nerve)
V2 Maxillary division of Trigeminal nerve (Function, Innervation, Exit)
F: general sensory
I: lower eyelid, upper lip, upper gums, upper teeth, cheek, palate, and pharynx
E: foramen rotundum (sphenoid)
What are the important branches of V2?
superior alveolar nerve and infraorbital nerve
V3 Mandibular division of Trigeminal nerve (Function, Innervation, Exit)
F: general sensory and somatic motor
Innervation:
- Sensory - skin over mandible, lower gums, lower teeth, lower lip, anterior 2/3 of tongue
- Motor - muscles of mastication (temporalis, masseter, medial/lateral pterygoids), anterior digastric and mylohyoid muscles, tensor veli palatini m.
E: foramen ovale (sphenoid)
What are the important branches of V3?
lingual nerve (tongue) inferior alveolar nerve (lower teeth/gums) mental nerve (chin)
Facial Nerves (CN, Function, Innervation, Exit)
CN VII
Function/Innervates:
- parasympathetic
– lacrimal glands (tears)
– mucous glands of nasal cavity, pharynx, and palate
– submandibular/sublingual salivary gland
- special sensory - taste receptors on anterior 2/3 of tongue
Cranial Exit:
- through the internal acoustic meatus (temporal bone)
- out of the stylomastoid foramen (temporal bone)
Vestibulocochlear Nerves (CN, Function, Innervation, Exit)
CN VIII (Acousticovestibular)
F: special sensory - balance and hearing
I: Vestibule (receptors for motion and balance) and Cochlea (hearing receptors)
E: internal acoustic meatus of temporal bone
How can Vestibulocochlear nerve be damaged? What are the symptoms?
Can be injured in fractures of middle cranial fossa
- cochlear n. leads to tinnitus (ringing, buzzing) and deafness
- vestibular n. - vertigo and nystagmus
Glossopharyngeal nerve (CN, Function, Innervation, Exit)
CN IX
Function/Innervates:
- general sensory: posterior 1/3 of tongue, pharynx, palate, tonsil
- special sensory: posterior 1/3 of tongue (taste), carotid body (monitors blood oxygen levels), carotid sinus (monitors blood pressure)
- parasympathetics: parotid gland (salivary)
- somatic motor: stylopharyngeus m.
Cranial exit: jugular foramen
Vagus Nerves (CN, Function, Innervation, Exit)
CB X
Function/Innervation:
- motor: muscles of pharynx, larynx, and palate (except tensor veli palatini)
- general sensory: pharynx, tongue
- special sensory: taste to area around epiglottis
- parasympathetics (and sensory): abdominal and thoracic viscera
Cranial exit: jugular foramen
What cranial nerves are part of gag reflex?
Glossopharyngeal: sensory part of gag reflex
Vagus: motor part of gag reflex
Spinal Accessory Nerve CN, Function, Innervation, Exit)
CN XI
F: motor
I: sternocleidomastoid m. and trapezius m.
E: jugular foramen
Hypoglossal Nerve CN, Function, Innervation, Exit)
F: motor - tongue muscles
I: all muscles with “gloss” in name (except palatoglossus m.)
E: hypoglossal canal (occipital)
Name all 12 cranial nerves
Olfactory Optic Oculomotor Trochlear Trigeminal Abducent Facial Vestibulocochlear Glossopharyngeal Vagus Accessory Hypoglossal