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.
The cranial nerves are a set of 12 nerves that relay messages between the brain and the head and neck and control motor and sensory functions, including vision, smell, and movement of the tongue and vocal cords. The cranial nerve exam involves testing the function of all 12 sets of cranial nerves.