Facial nerve

Facial nerve is the seventh cranial nerve, or simply CN VII. It emerges from the pons of the brainstem, controls the muscles of facial expression, and functions in the conveyance of taste sensations from the anterior two-thirds of the tongue.

Anatomy

The facial nerve is one of the key cranial nerves with a complex and broad range of functions. Although at first glance it is the motor nerve of facial expression which begins as a trunk and ends as multiple branches (temporal, zygomatic, buccal, mandibular, cervical), it has many other functions including the afferent limb of the corneal reflex, a secretomotor function to the lacrimal, nasal and palatine glands, control of the stapedial muscle in the middle ear, and the conveyance of taste from the anterior two-thirds of the tongue.

Clinical significance

Damage to the facial nerve can result in facial paralysis. This can occur as a result of several medical conditions including stroke, Lyme disease, and Bell's palsy. The most common cause of facial paralysis is Bell's palsy, a condition of unknown cause in which the facial nerve becomes inflamed.

See also

• Cranial nerves
• Bell's palsy
• Stroke
• Lyme disease

References

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  Inferior view of the human brain with labels

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  Diagram of the facial nerve

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  Facial nerve and its branches

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  Facial nerve distribution

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  Facial nerve anatomy

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  Facial nerve pathways

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  Branches of the facial nerve in the head

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  Facial nerve