Remembering the function of the cranial nerves helps with doing the cranial nerve exam. For example, 3, 4, 6 are both Motor and innervate the eye and are tested together. Nerve 9 & 10 are both motor and innervate the same area and are tested together.
- I: Smell. Eg. have patient smell coffee or mint (olfactory)
- II: Vision
- II, IV, VI: Extraocular movements
- V: Facial sensation, muscles of mastication–jaw opening, bite strength
- VII: Smile, raise your eyebrows, close your eyes and don’t let me open them.
- VIII: Quick and dirty method is to rub fingers behind pts ears. For more accurate testing, do Rinne (air v. bone conduction) and Weber (lateralizing) tests
- IX, X: Symmetrical palate movement, swallowing, gag reflex.
- XI: “Shrug your shoulders”
- XII: “Send out your tongue and move it from side to side”