Nature and Uses of Primary Data Sources Page 1 of 14 ______________________________________________________________________.
cranial nerve - any of the 12 paired nerves that originate in the brain stem. 1  nerve, nervus - any bundle of nerve fibers running to various organs and tissues of the body. 2  first cranial nerve, nervii olfactorii, olfactory nerve - a collective term for numerous olfactory filaments in the nasal mucosa.
A cranial nerve is a nerve that emerges directly from the brain of vertebrates, as distinct from a spinal nerve, which emerges from the spinal cord. All the cranial nerves, except the vagus nerve, pass through the foramina of the skull to innervate structures in the head, neck, and facial region. The cranial nerves are part of the peripheral nervous system (as distinct from the central nervous system, which consists of the brain and spinal cord).