Cranial nerves are the nerves that emerge directly from the brain. 10 of the 12 cranial nerves originate in the brainstem. The main responsibility of the cranial nerves is to relay information between the brain and parts of the body. This basically happens from the head and the neck regions. The 12 pairs of cranial nerves are responsible for human daily performance in a comfortable and efficient way. They also take part in the information of our senses to the brain.
Check out this small guide that shares about the cranial nerves, their anatomy, their classification and their faction in our bodies. The 12 pairs of cranial nerves pass through some small holes at the base of the human skull.
The main responsibility of the nerves is to carry the information and connect the brain to the different parts of the body such as sensory organs and muscles organs among other body parts. Throughout all this time, the human brain doesn’t rest and there is a continuous communication with almost all the brain nerves through the spinal cord.
Do you notice while you step your feet on a soft object? You are able to do this through the signal transmitted through the leg nerves going all the way to the spinal cord, then to the brain. Since what you are stepping on is soft or friendly to your body, then the brain gives the order of continuous stepping of that pleasant object.
This order will descend back and reach the feet just like the way it went up to the brain. Cranial nerves are unique because they emerge directly from the brain without passing via the spinal cord. This is due to their location which is the lower part of the brain. They go through the holes at the base of the skull in their way to reach their destination. These nerves are also directed to other areas of the body such as the neck and the thoracic area as well.
That is how the cranial nerves are seen as part of the nervous system. Basically, they are part of the peripheral nervous system. The same nervous system is the one that relates the brain to the cranial and cervical structures. All this is done in an afferent direction, sensory, sensorial, motor and vegetative in an efferent direction. There are 12 cranial nerves on each side of the left and right hemisphere. Each of these cranial nerves is all in paired mode. The function and the emergence of the cranial nerves are what determine their order of numbering…
