CRANIAL NERVES
Health Assessment
NUR 211
Anatomy and Physiology
• Central Nervous System
– Brain, spinal cord, motor and sensory pathways
• Peripheral Nervous System
– Spinal nerves, cranial nerves, autonomic
nervous system
Focused Health Assessment
• Present Health/Illness Status
– numbness, difficulty with speech, vision,
hearing, medications, changes in behavior,
lifestyle
• Family History
– headaches, mental illness, depression
Continued:
• Past Health History
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seizures, headaches
head injury
surgeries
stroke
Equipment Needed:
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Cotton ball, safety pin, snellen chart
Tongue blade
Tuning fork
Reflex hammer
pen light
pencil and paper
sweet/sour substances
Familiar aromatic substance (coffee, vanilla)
CN I: Olfactory
• Sensory: smell
• Apply simple odors to
one nostril at a time
• Do not test unless
history indicates
CN II: Optic
• Sensory: vision
• Snellen
• Visual fields
(confrontation)
• Ophthalmoscopic
examination
CN III: Oculomotor
• Motor: upward,
downward, medial eye
movement
• Corneal Light reflex
• Cover test
• EOM: 6 cardinal
positions
• Observe lids
CN IV: Trochlear
• Motor: downward,
medial eye movement
• EOM
• Same as CN III
• Pupillary light reflex
• Accommodation
CN V: Trigeminal
• Sensory: face, scalp
• Motor:
• Tactile and pain
sensation on entire
face
CN VI: Abducens
• Motor: lateral eye
movement
• EOM
• Same as CN III
CN VII: Facial
• Sensory:
• Taste to anterior 2/3 of
tongue
• Motor:
• Ability to frown
• Smile, show teeth
• Puff out checks
• whistle, close eyes
CN VIII: Acoustic
• Sensory:
• Hearing acuity
• Rinne test: on mastoid
process
• Weber test: on center
of forehead
• Otoscopic examination
• Rhomberg test
CN IX: Glossopharyngeal
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Sensory:
Taste
Motor:
Able to swallow
Gag reflex
CN X: Vagus
• Sensory
– listen to person talk (hoarseness)
• Motor
– ask person to say “ah” (soft palate contract and
uvula stays midline)
CN XI: Spinal Accessary
• Motor:
• Turn head side to side
• shrug shoulders with
resistance
CN XII: Hypoglossal
• Motor:
• protrude tongue
• move tongue from
side to side with
resistance