Cranial nerves

The cranial nerves are the nerves arising from the base of the brain and the brainstem of an organism which supply motor and sensory paths to the head. In humans, there are 12 cranial nerves.

## CN I: Olfactory Nerve[edit]

The olfactory nerve carries sensory information from the chemoreceptors in the nasal passage to the olfactory bulb in the forebrain, via the perforations of the cribriform plate.

## CN II: Optic Nerve[edit]

The optic nerve carries visual information from the eye to the occipital lobe of the brain, where it is processed. The nerve travels from the eye to the thalamus via the optic chiasm, where it partially decussates.