Terminal	Purely sensory	Lamina terminalis	Septal nuclei	Involved in the detection of pheromones.[10][unreliable medical source?]
I	Olfactory	Purely sensory	Telencephalon	Anterior olfactory nucleus	Transmits the sense of smell from the nasal cavity.[11] Located in the olfactory foramina in the cribriform plate of the ethmoid bone.
II	Optic	Sensory	Retinal ganglion cells	Lateral geniculate nucleus[12]	Transmits visual signals from the retina of the eye to the brain.[13] Located in theoptic canal.
III	Oculomotor	Mainly motor	Anterior aspect of Midbrain	Oculomotor nucleus, Edinger-Westphal nucleus	Innervates the levator palpebrae superioris, superior rectus,medial rectus, inferior rectus, and inferior oblique, which collectively perform most eye movements. Also innervates the sphincter pupillae and the muscles of the ciliary body. Located in the superior orbital fissure.
IV	Trochlear	motor	Dorsal aspect of Midbrain	Trochlear nucleus	Innervates the superior oblique muscle, which depresses, rotates laterally, and intorts the eyeball. Located in the superior orbital fissure.
V	Trigeminal	Both sensory and motor	Pons	Principal sensory trigeminal nucleus, Spinal trigeminal nucleus,Mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus, Trigeminal motor nucleus	Receives sensation from the face and innervates the muscles of mastication. Located in the; superior orbital fissure (ophthalmic nerve - V1), foramen rotundum (maxillary nerve - V2), foramen ovale (mandibular nerve - V3).
VI	Abducens	Mainly motor	Nuclei lying under the floor of the fourth ventricle Pons	Abducens nucleus	Innervates the lateral rectus, which abducts the eye. Located in the superior orbital fissure.
VII	Facial	Both sensory and motor	Pons (cerebellopontine angle) above olive	Facial nucleus, Solitary nucleus,Superior salivary nucleus	Provides motor innervation to themuscles of facial expression, posterior belly of the digastric muscle,stylohyoidmuscle, andstapedius muscle. Also receives the special sense of taste from the anterior 2/3 of the tongue and provides secretomotorinnervation to the salivary glands (except parotid) and the lacrimal gland. Located in and runs through the internal acoustic canal to the facial canal and exits at thestylomastoid foramen.
VIII	Vestibulocochlear (also auditory,[14] acoustic,[14] or auditory-vestibular)	Mostly sensory	Lateral to CN VII (cerebellopontine angle)	Vestibular nuclei, Cochlear nuclei	Mediates sensation of sound, rotation, and gravity (essential for balance and movement). More specifically, the vestibular branch carries impulses for equilibrium and the cochlear branch carries impulses for hearing. Located in the internal acoustic canal.
IX	Glossopharyngeal	Both sensory and motor	Medulla	Nucleus ambiguus, Inferior salivary nucleus, Solitary nucleus	Receives taste from the posterior 1/3 of the tongue, provides secretomotor innervation to the parotid gland, and provides motor innervation to the stylopharyngeus. Some sensation is also relayed to the brain from the palatine tonsils. Located in the jugular foramen.
X	Vagus	Both sensory and motor	Posterolateral sulcus of Medulla	Nucleus ambiguus, Dorsal motor vagal nucleus, Solitary nucleus	Supplies branchiomotorinnervation to most laryngeal and pharyngeal muscles (except the stylopharyngeus, which is innervated by the glossopharyngeal). Also provides parasympathetic fibers to nearly all thoracic and abdominal viscera down to the splenic flexure. Receives the special sense of taste from the epiglottis. A major function: controls muscles for voice and resonance and the soft palate. Symptoms of damage:dysphagia (swallowing problems),velopharyngeal insufficiency. Located in the jugular foramen.
XI	Accessory Sometimes: cranial accessory spinal accessory	Mainly motor	Cranial and Spinal Roots	Nucleus ambiguus, Spinal accessory nucleus	Controls the sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles, and overlaps with functions of the vagus nerve (CN X). Symptoms of damage: inability to shrug, weak head movement. Located in the jugular foramen.
XII	Hypoglossal	Mainly motor	Medulla	Hypoglossal nucleus	Provides motor innervation to the muscles of the tongue (except for the palatoglossal muscle, which is innervated by the vagus nerve) and other glossal muscles. Important for swallowing (bolus formation) and speech articulation. Passes through the hypoglossal canal.