Table 1.

The 12 cranial nerves, their major branches, fiber types, ganglia and functions. Sympathetic fibers are not considered to be part of cranial nerves. However, they do run alongside cranial nerves and blood vessels and innervate cranial structures, such as the muscles for pupil constriction, and lacrimal, submandibular, sublingual, parotid, nasal and sweat glands. BM = branchiomotor; PVM = parasympathetic visceral motor; SM = somatic motor; SS = somatic sensory; SSM = special somatic motor; SpS = special sensory; SVM = sympathetic visceral motor; VS = Visceral sensory.

Cranial Nerve	Branches	Fiber Types	Class	Ganglia	Function
CN I, Olfactory		Sensory	SpS	-	Sense of smell
CN II, Optic		Sensory	SpS	-	Sense of sight
CN III, Oculomotor	Cephalad Caudad	Motor Motor Parasympathetic	SSM SSM PVM	- - Ciliary	Control of skeletal muscle eye movement Control of skeletal muscle eye movement Pupil constriction and accommodation
CN IV, Trochlear		Motor	SSM	-	Control of skeletal muscle eye movement
CN V, Trigeminal	Ophthalmic (CN V1) Maxillary (CN V2) Mandibular (CN V3)	Sensory Sensory Sensory Motor	SS SS SS BM	Trigeminal Trigeminal Trigeminal -	Sensation to upper face and upper nasal cavity Sensation to mid face and cheeks, and lower nasal cavity Sensation to lower face and lateral cheeks Skeletal muscle of mastication
CN VI, Abducens		Motor	SM	-	Control of skeletal muscle eye movement
CN VII, Facial	Temporal Zygomatic Buccal Mandibular Cervical Posterior auricular Chorda tympani Greater petrosal	Motor Motor Motor Motor Motor Sensory Sensory Parasympathetic Parasympathetic	BM BM BM BM BM SS SpS PVM PVM	- - - - - Geniculate Geniculate Submandibular Pterygopalatine	Control of skeletal muscle for facial expression Sensation to posterior external ear canal Taste sensation from anterior 2/3 of tongue Sublingual, submandibular & oral gland secretion Lacrimal and nasal gland secretion
CN VIII, Vestibulocochlear	Vestibular Cochlear	Sensory Motor Sensory Motor	SpS SM SpS SM	Vestibular - Spiral -	Sense of balance Vestibular plasticity and compensation Sense of hearing Olivocochlear system: adaptation
CN IX, Glossopharyngeal	Tympanic Tonsilar Ligual Carotid Pharyngeal Muscular	Sensory Parasympathetic Sensory Sensory Sensory Sensory Sensory Motor	SS PVM SS SS SpS VS SS BM	Superior Otic Superior Superior Petrosal Petrosal Superior -	Sensation to middle ear, tympanic membrane etc. Parotid gland secretion Sensation of tonsils Sensation in posterior 1/3 of tongue Sense of taste in posterior 1/3 of tongue Carotid body/ sinus: monitor blood pressure and oxygen saturation Sensation in upper pharnynx The stylopharyngeus muscle
CN X, Vagus	Auricular Meningeal Pharyngeal Superior laryngeal Recurrent laryngeal Rest of the body*	Sensory Sensory Sensory Sensory Motor Parasympathetic Sensory Sensory Motor Parasympathetic Sensory Sensory Motor Parasympathetic	SS SS SS VS BM PVM SS VS BM PVM SS VS BM PVM	Jugular Jugular Jugular Nodose - - Jugular Nodose - - Jugular Nodose - -	Sensation from skin of the ear canal, tragus, and auricle Sensation to dura mater at posterior of the skull Sensation of the pharynx Mucus membrane of the pharynx Skeletal muscle of the pharynx, soft palate & 1 intrinsic muscle of tongue Smooth muscle and glands of the pharynx Sensation of the larynx Mucus membrane of larynx Cricothyroid muscle of the larynx Smooth muscle and glands of the larynx Sensation from esophagus and trachea Mucus membrane of lower larynx, Intrinsic muscles of the larynx except the cricothyroid muscle Smooth muscle and glands of the trachea
CN XI, Accessory		Motor	BM	-	Provides part of the motor innervation of the larynx and pharynx^
CN XII, Hypoglossal		Motor	SM	-	Supplies all intrinsic and all but 1 extrinsic muscle of the tongue

^*Vagus nerve innervates organs in the thorax also

^{^}Innervates the same structures as the branchiomotor component of the vagus nerve

^-No cranial ganglia