Cranial nerve
nerves that emerge directly from the brain and the brainstem / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A cranial nerve is any nerve which is attached directly to the brain or brainstem. This is different from spinal nerves which are attached to segments of the spinal cord.[1] Cranial nerves relay information more directly between the brain and body (mostly parts of the head and neck).[2]
Each cranial nerve exists as a pair and is present on both sides of the central nervous system. All cranial nerves appear above the first vertebra in the neck (cervical vertebra).[3]
In humans there are twelve cranial nerves pairs. They are numbered using Roman numerals I–XII[4] based on their order from the front of the brain to the back, where the brainstem is.[1]