Cranial Nerves 

The crainal nerves have a vital role in carrying afferent and efferent fibres to and from the brain. There are 12 pairs of cranial nerves, these are numbered using Roman numerals, with I being the most rostal and XII the most caudal. Cranial nerves I and II are directly attached to the forebrain whereas the rest are attached to the brain stem.

 Position of cranial nerves on base of brain

I-Olfactory

II-Optic

III-Oculomotor

IV-Trochlear

V-Trigeminal

VI-Abducens

VII-Facial

VIII-Vestibulocochlear

IX-Glossopharyngeal

X-Vagus

XI-Accessory

XII-Hypoglossal

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Cranial Nuclei

The cranial nuclei are collections of neurons in the brain stem which are associated with one or more of cranial nerves III to XII. The nuclei receive afferent nerves or contain the cell bodies of efferent nerves. The locations of the different nuclei are shown below on a dorsal view of the brainstem. Efferent nuclei are shown in red and afferent in blue.

 

Cranial nuclei

Image courtesy of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Gray696.png