1. Cranial nerves: general introduction
Anna L. Kiss
Department of Human Morphology and Developmental Biology
Semmelweis University
Budapest
2014

2. Cranial nerves olfactory n. (I) ptic chiasam (II) optic tract (II)
oculomotory n. (III)
trochlear n. (IV)
trigeminal n. (V)
facial n. (VII)
vestibulocochlear n. (VIII)
glossopharyngeal n.+vagus
(IX, X)
accessory n. (XI)
abducens n. (VI)
hypoglossal n. (XII)

3. Olfactory nerve (I): is developing as an early part of the primitive
Olfactory nerve (I): is developing as an early part of the primitive telencephalon
Optic nerve (II): is developing as an outpouching from the diencephalon
Carnial nerves III to XII:
originate from the brain stem
are embryologically homologous with spinal nerves
nuclei of them derived originally from cell columns homologous with the columns of the spinal cord

4. Cranial nerves Functionally: Visceral (vegetative):
autonom, unvoluntary
Somatic: voluntary
Sensory:
about the outside
world; structures
developed from
embryonic ectoderm
and somatic mesoderm
Motory:
controlling voluntary
muscles, derived from
somites and embryonic
gill arches
Motory:
controlling
function of the
viscera
(symphatetic and
parasymphatetic)
Sensory:
viscera
developed
from ectoderm
and splanchnic
mesoderm
somatic efferent SE
general somatic afferent
GSA
visceral efferent VE
general visceral afferent
GVS

5. Spinal nerves: mixed (sensory, motor sometimes vegetative fibers)
radix posterior
ganglion spinale
nervus spinalis
radix anterior

6. Cranial nerves Motor nerves: IV, VI, XII – somatomotor
III – somatomotor, visceromotor
Sensory:
VIII – special (hearing, balance)
Mixed:
V, VII, IX, X - sensory, motor + vegetatíve (exept: V)
Special motor:
XI (motoros – spinal fibers)
Not really cranial nerves:
I, and II – outgrowth of the central nervous system

7. Nuclei of the cranial nerves in the brainstem
III. IV: midbrain
V. VI. és VII. motor nuclei: pons
V. : 3 sensory nuclei: midbrain, pons and medulla
VIII.: at the border of the pons and medulla
IX. X. XI. XII: medulla
Motor nuclei: perikaryons of the „low” motoneurons
Sensory nuclei: perikaryons of the second ordered neurons (primary sensory neurons: outside the brainstem, ganglions (similarly to gg. spinale)

8. Development of the spinal cord
somatosensor (afferens)
visceral
somatomotor (efferens)

9. Spinal cord versus brainstem

10. Grey matter in the brainstem
mesencephalon
pons
medulla „open” part
medulla „closed” part

11. Reorganizationof the central grey matter
at the brainstem
Spinal cord
medulla (closed part)
medulla (open part)
mesencephalon
medulla-pons
pons (at the level of locus
a locus ceruleus)

12. Special Visceral Efferent: SVE
Somatosensor
Viscerosensor
Visceromotor
Somatomotor
Ventrolateral
Somatomotor
Visceromotor
Special Visceral Efferent: SVE
Brachiomotor
nn. V, VII, IX, X, XI
Branchial arches

13. Cranial nerves of the branchial arches

14. General/Special Viscerlal Afferent GVA, SVA
Viscerosensoros
General/Special Viscerlal Afferent GVA, SVA
Somatosensoros
General/Special Somatic Afferent GSA, SSA
Visceromotoros
General Visceral Efferent: GVE
parasympathicus
Ventrolateral collumn
Somatomotor?
Visceromotor?
Special Visceral Efferent: SVE
Brachiomotor
nn. V, VII, IX, X, XI
Nerves of the branchial arches
Dorsomedial collumn
Pure motor nuclei
nn. III, IV, VI, XII
Somatomotor
General Somatic Efferent: GSE

15. Development of the brainstem
3. Cell types: branchial afferens and efferens
innervation of the derivatives of the branchial arches:
V., VII., IX., X.
speciális special visceral: branchial (SSA)
general visceral (GSA)

16. Nuclei of the cranial nerves at the rhomboid fossa
viscero- and branchiosensory (taste)
somatosensory (n. trigeminus)
speciál somatosensory (vestibulocochlear)
IV. ventricle – rhomboid fossa
visceromotory (viscera, glands, heart parasympathetic)
branchiomotory (muscles of the branchial arches)
somatomotory (muscles of the tongue)

17. Motor (efferens) nuclei in the brainstem
Muscles of the head, orbit, tongue:
n. oculomotorius (III)
n. trochlearis (IV)
n. abducens (VI)
n. hypoglossus (XII)
Pharynx, m. of mastication, m. of the face, larynx: derivatives of the branchial arches:
n. trigeminus: motor nucleus
n. facialis: motor nucleus
n. glossopharyngeus
n. vagus
Visceralis (parasympathetic):
Edinger-Westfal (III)
n. salivatorius (VII., IX)
n. dorsalis n. vagi
close to the midline
lateral
n. ambiguus
farest from the midlinef

18. Sensory (afferens) nuclei in the brainstem
n. tractus solitarii: VII., IX., X.:
visceral + branchiali afferens nuclei:
taste+visceral afferens from heart, lung
main sensory n. trigeminus
n. tractus spinalis n. trigemini
n. mesencephalius n. trigemini
Special somatosensory nuclei:
n. cochlearis
n. vestibularis
somatosensor

19. nucl. princeps sensorius n. V
medulla: „open” (rostral) part
nucl. motorius n. V
nucl. princeps sensorius n. V
nucl. tractus spinalis n. V
pons
N. trigeminus
medulla: „closed” (caudal) part

20. nucl. princeps sensorius n. V nucl. tractus solitarii
somatosensor
sup. salivatory n.
visceromotor
nucl. tractus spinalis n. V
nucl. tractus solitarii
viscerosensor
nucl. motorius n. VII
somatomotor
N. facialis

21. N. glossopharyngeus nucl. princeps sensorius n. V somatosensor
nucl. tractus spinalis n. V.
somatosensor
inf. salivatory nucl.
visceromotor
nucl. tractus solitarii
viscerosensor
nucl. ambiguus
somatomotor
N. glossopharyngeus

22. N. vagus nucl. princeps sensorius n. V somatosensor
nucl. tractus solitarii (ala cinerea lat.)
(viscerosensor)
nucl. dorsalis n. X
(ala cinerea med.)
visceromotor
nucl. tractus spinalis n. V
somatosensor
nucl. tractus solitarii
viscerosensor
nucl. ambiguus
somatomotor
N. vagus

23. References Szentagothai J, Réthelyi M: Funkcionális anatómia
Sobota - Atlas of Human Anatomy, 20th edition, Urban and Schwarzenberger, 1993
Stephen Goldberg: Clinical neuroanatomy, 1998