III.
EXAMINATION OF THE
CRANIAL NERVES
NAME/NO. OF C.N.
FUNCTIONAL OR ANATOMIC
SIGNIFICANCE
I. OLFACTORY
II. OPTIC
It smells
It sees
III. OCULOMOTOR
Its MM move the eyeball
IV. TROCHLEAR
Its MM moves the eyeball after
running through a trochlea or pulley
V. TRIGEMINAL
It has three large sensory branches to
the face
VI. ABDUCENS
It abducts the eye
VII. FACIAL
It moves the MM of all facial orifices
VIII. VESTIBULO COCHLEAR
It equilibrates, hears
IX. GLOSSOPHARYNGEAL
It supplies taste fibers to the tongue
and
Activates the pharynx during
swallowing
NAME/NO. OF C.N.
FUNCTIONAL OR ANATOMIC
SIGNIFICANCE
X. VAGUS
It is vagrant wandering from the
pharynx to the Colon
XI. SPINAL ACCESSORY
It arises in the cervical spinal cord,
runs into the Skull, out again, and
conveys accessory fibers to the vagus
XII. HYPOGLOSSAL
It runs under the tongue
FUNCTIONS OF THE
CRANIAL NERVES
I:
Smells
II:
Sees
III, IV, VI:
Move eyes; Constricts pupils (III)
V:
Chews and feels front of head
VII:
Moves the face, tears, tastes, salivates
VIII:
Hears, equilibrates
IX:
Tastes, salivates, swallows, monitors
carotid body and sinus
X:
Tastes, swallows, lifts palate, phonates,
afferent and parasympathetic efferent to
thoraco-abdominal viscera
XI:
Turns head, shrugs shoulders
XII:
Moves tongue
CRANIAL NERVES
LOCATION OF NUCLEI
I.
Frontal Lobe
II.
Diencephalon
III, IV
Mesencephalon
V, VI, VII
PONS
VIII
Pontomedullary Junction
IX, X, XII
Medulla
XI.
Spinal Cord
METHOD FOR RAPID
SEQUENTIAL SCREENING OF
THE MOTOR FUNCTION OF
THE CRANIAL NERVES
NERVES COMMANDS TO PATIENT
BY EXAMINER
III
IV
VI
Follow my Finger
OBSERVATIONS AND TESTS BY
EXAMINER
Move finger through all fields of gaze,
watch for Asymmetrical corneal light
reflections, Nystagmus, pupilloconstriction
during convergence, lid-limbus relations,
inquire about diplopia
Look up at the ceiling
Watch for asymmetry or absence of
forehead Wrinkling and eyebrow elevation
Closing your eyes tight Look for asymmetry of wrinkles radiating
and dont let me open them from Lateral canthi and try to force lids
open with Your fingers
VII
Draw back the corners
of your mouth or
smile
Look for asymmetry of nasolabial folds.
Have patient make labial sounds if speech
sounded Abnormal.
Draw down the corners
of your mouth hard
Look for asymmetry of movement and for
Wrinkling of skin on neck from platysma
action
Bite your jaws together hard Palpate masseter MM
V
Open jaw as wide as
possible
Hold your jaw to one
side
Try to push it back. Repeat test to the
opposite Side
Stick out your tongue as
far as possible
Look for deviation, atrophy and
fascsiculations Test for lingual articulations
if speech sounded Abnormal
Look for weakness or slowness of
movement.
XII
Move your tongue from
side to side
X
Look for deviation of the tip by sighting on
the Notch between medial two incisors
Say ah
Look for asymmetrical palatal elevation.
Test for palatal articulations and do gag
reflex if speech or swallowing were
abnormal
XI
Turn your head to one side Try to push head back to midline. Inspect
and dont let Me push it back and palpate SCM MM. Repeat test to
opposite side. Try to press the patients
Touch your ear with
shoulders back down.
your
shoulders
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