Cranial Nerves - Associated Nuclei

Question 1

CN III

Answer 1

Motor

• Oculomotor nuc.
• Accessory oculomotor nuc. or Edinger-Westphal nuc. (parasympathetic)

Question 2

CN IV

Answer 2

Motor

• Trochlear nuc.

The only cranial nerve which decussates inside the brainstem (mesencephalon) and then exits dorsally.

Question 3

CN V

Answer 3

Mixed

• Motor nuc. of trigeminal n.
• Mesencephalic nuc. of trigeminal n. (proprioceptive)
• Principal sensory (pontine) nuc. of trigeminal n. (epicritic)
• Spinal nuc. of trigeminal n. (receives protopathic fibers from CN V, VII, IX and X)

Question 4

CN VI

Answer 4

Motor

• Abducens nuc.

Question 5

CN VII

Answer 5

Mixed

• Facial nuc.
• Sup salivatory nuc.
• Solitary tract nuc. (taste)
• Contains protopathic fibers which terminate on the spinal nuc. of trigeminal n.

Question 6

CN VIII

Answer 6

Sensory

• Ant./ventral and post./dorsal cochlear nuclei
• Sup., inf., med. and lat. vestibular nuclei

Question 7

CN IX

Answer 7

Mixed

• Ambiguus nuc.
• Inf. salivatory nuc.
• Lat. nuc. of ala cinerea (contains or receives fibers from baroreceptors and chemoreceptors?) - GVA or GVS
• Solitary t. nuc. (taste)
• Contains protopathic fibers which terminate on the spinal nuc. of trigeminal n.

Question 8

CN X

Answer 8

Mixed

• Ambiguus nuc.
• Medial nuc. of ala cinerea or dorsal vagal nuc. - GVE
• Lat. nuc. of ala cinerea - GVA
• Solitary nuc. (taste)
• Contains protopathic fibers which terminate on the spinal nuc. of trigeminal n.

Question 9

CN XI

Answer 9

Motor

• Spinal accessory nuc. C_1-6 - GSE
• Ambiguus nuc. - SVE

Question 10

CN XII

Answer 10

Motor

• Hypoglossal nuc.

Question 11

Fibers of which cranial nerves terminate on the solitary tract nucleus?

Answer 11

• CN VII, IX and X

Question 12

Fibers of which cranial nerves terminate on the lat. ala cinerea nucleus?

Answer 12

• CN IX and X

Question 13

Fibers of which cranial nerves terminate on the medial ala cinerea nucleus?

Answer 13

• CN X

Question 14

Which nuclei are located in the mesencephalon (midbrain)?

Answer 14

• Oculomotor nuc.
• Accessory oculomotor nuc. or Edinger-Westphal nuc.
• Trochlear nuc.
• Mesencephalic nuc. of CN V

Question 15

Which nuclei are located in the metencephalon (pons)?

Answer 15

• Mesencephalic nuc. of CN V (caudal part)
• Principal sensory (pontine) nuc. of CN V
• Spinal nuc. of CN V (rostral part)
• Motor nuc. of CN V
• Vestibular nuclei (rostral part which contains sup., med. and lat. nuclei) and cochlear nuclei
• Solitary tract nuc. (rostral part, which receives fibers from CN VII)
• Abducens nuc.
• Facial nuc.
• Sup. salivatory nuc.

Question 16

Which nuclei are located in the myelencephalon (medulla oblongata)?

Answer 16

• Vestibular nuc. (caudal part which contains inf. nucleus)
• Spinal nuc. of CN V
• Solitary tract nuc. (caudal part, which receives fibers from CN IX and X)
• Lat. nuc. of ala cinerea
• Hypoglossal nuc.
• Ambiguus nuc.
• Dorsal nuc. of vagus n. or medial nuc. of ala cierea
• Inf. salivatory nuc.

Question 17

Which nucleus is located in the cervical part of the spine?

Answer 17

• Spinal accessory nuc. C_1-6

Question 18

Which nuclei are classified as GSE?

Answer 18

• Oculomotor nuc.
• Trochlear nuc.
• Abducent nuc.
• Hypoglossal nuc.
• Spinal accessory nuc. C_1-6

Question 19

Which nuclei are classified as SVE?

Answer 19

• Motor nuc. of CN V
• Facial nuc.
• Ambiguus nuc.

Question 20

Which nuclei are classified as GVE?

Answer 20

• Accessory oculomotor nuc. or Edinger-Westphal nuc.
• Sup. salivatory nuc.
• Inf. salivatory nuc.
• Medial nuc. of ala cinerea or dorsal vagal nuc.

Question 21

Which nuclei are classified as GVA?

Answer 21

• Lat. nuc. of ala cinerea

Question 22

Which nuclei are classified as SVA?

Answer 22

• Solitary tract nuc.

Question 23

Which nuclei are classified as GSA?

Answer 23

• Mesencephalic nuc. of trigeminal n. (proprioceptive)
• Principal sensory (pontine) nuc. of trigeminal n. (epicritic)
• Spinal nuc. of trigeminal n. (receives protopathic fibers from CN V, VII, IX and X)

Question 24

Which nuclei are classified as SSA?

Answer 24

• Chochlear nuclei
• Vestibular nuclei