90.2k views
3 votes
How many pairs of cranial nerves are there?

User Maxie
by
6.7k points

2 Answers

4 votes

Final answer:

The human body has 12 cranial nerves that emerge from or enter the skull and connect directly to the brain. These nerves can be sensory, motor, or a combination of both. Examples include the olfactory nerve for smell and the oculomotor nerve for eye movements.

Step-by-step explanation:

The human body has 12 cranial nerves. These nerves emerge from or enter the skull (cranium) and connect directly to the brain. The cranial nerves can be classified as sensory, motor, or a combination of both.

Some cranial nerves transmit only sensory information, like the olfactory nerve which transmits information about smells, while others transmit almost solely motor information, like the oculomotor nerve which controls eye movements. The remainder of the cranial nerves contain both sensory and motor fibers. For example, the glossopharyngeal nerve has a role in both taste (sensory) and swallowing (motor).

User Noughtmare
by
6.6k points
7 votes
In humans, there are twelve cranial nerve pairs. The number of pairs differs between other animals. For example, frogs and fish have ten.
User Janosdivenyi
by
6.5k points