Cranial nerve nuclei

General Information
Latin	Nuclei nervorum cranialium
Greek
TA98
TA2
FMA
Details
System	Nervous system
Artery
Vein
Nerve
Lymphatic drainage
Precursor	Neural tube
Function	Sensory and motor innervation
Identifiers
Clinical significance
Notes

The cranial nerve nuclei are collections of neurons (nerve cells) in the brainstem that are associated with the cranial nerves. These nuclei are responsible for the sensory, motor, and autonomic functions of the cranial nerves. Each cranial nerve has one or more associated nuclei, which are located in specific regions of the brainstem.

Anatomy

The cranial nerve nuclei are located in the medulla oblongata, pons, and midbrain, which are parts of the brainstem. The nuclei are organized into columns based on their function:

• Somatic motor nuclei are responsible for voluntary muscle control and include the nuclei for cranial nerves such as the oculomotor nerve (CN III) and the hypoglossal nerve (CN XII).
• Branchial motor nuclei control muscles derived from the pharyngeal arches, such as those innervated by the facial nerve (CN VII) and the vagus nerve (CN X).
• Visceral motor nuclei are involved in autonomic functions and include the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve.
• General sensory nuclei process sensory information from the body, such as the trigeminal nerve (CN V) nuclei.
• Special sensory nuclei are involved in processing special senses like hearing and balance, such as the cochlear nucleus and vestibular nuclei.

Function

The cranial nerve nuclei serve as the origin or termination points for the cranial nerves. They play a crucial role in transmitting neural signals between the brain and various parts of the body. For example, the oculomotor nucleus controls eye movements, while the solitary nucleus processes taste information.

Clinical significance

Damage to the cranial nerve nuclei can result in a variety of neurological disorders. For instance, a lesion in the facial nerve nucleus can lead to facial paralysis, while damage to the abducens nucleus can cause diplopia (double vision).

See also

• Cranial nerves
• Brainstem
• Neuroanatomy

References

Susan,

 Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice, 
 41st edition, 
 Elsevier, 
 2016, 
  
  
 ISBN 978-0-7020-5230-9,

Purves, Dale,

 Neuroscience, 
 Sinauer Associates, 
 2018, 
 Vol. 6th edition

External links

• Cranial nerve nuclei on WikiMD