Nerve
Facial nerve (CN VII)
Facial expression, taste, tears, saliva
High-yield
Bell's palsy (LMN) affects the whole half-face; a central (UMN) lesion spares the forehead. Runs through the internal acoustic meatus and stylomastoid foramen.
Overview
The seventh cranial nerve, supplying the muscles of facial expression and carrying taste from the anterior tongue plus parasympathetic fibres to the lacrimal and salivary glands.
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Reference facts
- Roots
- Motor, sensory, and parasympathetic (cranial nerve)
- Course
- Passes through the internal acoustic meatus, the facial canal (giving branches), and exits the stylomastoid foramen to branch across the face (parotid plexus)
- Motor
- Muscles of facial expression, stapedius, stylohyoid, and posterior belly of digastric
- Sensory
- Taste from the anterior two-thirds of the tongue (via chorda tympani); parasympathetic to lacrimal, submandibular, and sublingual glands
Clinical correlation
Bell's palsy causes unilateral facial droop with inability to close the eye or raise the eyebrow on that side.
Frequently asked questions
What type of nerve is the facial nerve (CN VII)?
The facial nerve (CN VII) is motor, sensory, and parasympathetic (cranial nerve).
What muscles does the facial nerve (CN VII) supply?
The facial nerve (CN VII) supplies the muscles of facial expression, stapedius, stylohyoid, and posterior belly of digastric.
What is the sensory distribution of the facial nerve (CN VII)?
The facial nerve (CN VII) carries sensation from the taste from the anterior two-thirds of the tongue (via chorda tympani); parasympathetic to lacrimal, submandibular, and sublingual glands.
What is the course of the facial nerve (CN VII)?
Passes through the internal acoustic meatus, the facial canal (giving branches), and exits the stylomastoid foramen to branch across the face (parotid plexus).