Anatomy & physiology · Study sheet
Cranial nerves mnemonic and brain anatomy
Two memory aids laid out word by word against the 12 cranial nerves, then the main parts of the brain and what each one does. Cover the answers, label a diagram, and finish with practice questions, every answer explained. Free, and for study only.
- Mnemonic drill
- The 12 cranial nerves
- 16 practice questions
- No sign-up needed
CollegeCompass360 is an independent education resource. We are not a school, a testing company or a government agency.
Part 1 · The mnemonics
Cranial nerves mnemonic, word by word
A mnemonic is a study trick, not a fact: it only helps you recall the order. Pick a phrase, read each word against its nerve, then cover the answers and say the nerves from the words alone.
“On Old Olympus’ Towering Tops, A Finn And German Viewed Some Hops”
Each word starts with the same letter as the nerve: Olfactory, Optic, Oculomotor, Trochlear, Trigeminal, Abducens, Facial, (Vestibulo)cochlear, Glossopharyngeal, Vagus, (Spinal) accessory, Hypoglossal. The “And” is a little loose: it stands for the nerve some books call auditory.
- IOnOlfactory · Sensory
- IIOldOptic · Sensory
- IIIOlympus’Oculomotor · Motor
- IVToweringTrochlear · Motor
- VTopsTrigeminal · Both
- VIAAbducens · Motor
- VIIFinnFacial · Both
- VIIIAndVestibulocochlear · Sensory
- IXGermanGlossopharyngeal · Both
- XViewedVagus · Both
- XISomeSpinal accessory · Motor
- XIIHopsHypoglossal · Motor
Part 2 · The 12 cranial nerves
The 12 cranial nerves and what each one does
Number, name, type and main job, in order. Sensory nerves bring information in, motor nerves carry commands out, and “both” nerves do each.
| No. | Nerve | Type | Main job |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Olfactory | Sensory | The sense of smell. |
| II | Optic | Sensory | Vision. |
| III | Oculomotor | Motor | Eye movements, lifting the upper eyelid and pupil constriction. |
| IV | Trochlear | Motor | Eye movement, through the superior oblique muscle. |
| V | Trigeminal | Both | Facial sensation and the chewing muscles. |
| VI | Abducens | Motor | Eye movement, through the lateral rectus muscle. |
| VII | Facial | Both | Facial expression, taste and saliva production. |
| VIII | Vestibulocochlear | Sensory | Hearing and balance. |
| IX | Glossopharyngeal | Both | Oral cavity and upper throat muscles, taste and saliva production. |
| X | Vagus | Both | Homeostatic control of the organs of the chest and upper abdomen. |
| XI | Spinal accessory | Motor | The neck muscles. |
| XII | Hypoglossal | Motor | The tongue and lower throat muscles. |
By type: sensory only is Olfactory, Optic, Vestibulocochlear (3 nerves); motor only is Oculomotor, Trochlear, Abducens, Spinal accessory, Hypoglossal (5); both is Trigeminal, Facial, Glossopharyngeal, Vagus (4).
The same nerves, grouped by job
Eye movement
III Oculomotor · IV Trochlear · VI Abducens
All three are motor nerves of the eye muscles. III also lifts the upper eyelid and constricts the pupil.
The special senses
I Olfactory · II Optic · VIII Vestibulocochlear
Smell, vision, and hearing with balance. All three are sensory only.
Face, mouth and taste
V Trigeminal · VII Facial · IX Glossopharyngeal
Each carries both sensory and motor fibers. VII and IX both mention taste and saliva production.
Organs, neck and tongue
X Vagus · XI Spinal accessory · XII Hypoglossal
The vagus reaches the chest and upper abdomen; XI serves the neck muscles and XII the tongue.
Part 3 · Brain regions
Thalamus, hypothalamus, cerebellum and the rest
The four lobes of the cerebrum, the two parts of the diencephalon, the three parts of the brain stem and the cerebellum, each with the one-line job a textbook gives it. Part 4 below lets you label them on a diagram.
| Region | Part | Main job |
|---|---|---|
| Frontal lobe | Cerebrum | Primarily associated with motor functions. Its prefrontal part serves cognitive functions that can be the basis of personality, short-term memory and consciousness. |
| Parietal lobe | Cerebrum | The main sensation associated with this lobe is somatosensation. |
| Occipital lobe | Cerebrum | Areas 17 and 18 here are responsible for primary visual perception. |
| Temporal lobe | Cerebrum | Associated with primary auditory sensation. |
| Thalamus | Diencephalon | Relays information between the cerebral cortex and the periphery, spinal cord or brain stem. |
| Hypothalamus | Diencephalon | Largely involved in regulating homeostasis. |
| Midbrain | Brain stem | Coordinates sensory representations of the visual, auditory and somatosensory perceptual spaces. |
| Pons | Brain stem | The main connection between the cerebellum and the brain stem; shares with the medulla the regulation of cardiovascular and respiratory rates. |
| Medulla oblongata | Brain stem | Its gray matter processes cranial nerve information; it shares with the pons the regulation of cardiovascular and respiratory rates. |
| Cerebellum | Cerebellum | Largely responsible for comparing information from the cerebrum with sensory feedback. |
Memory hook: the thalamus is the relay and the hypothalamus sits below it (hypo means under) and keeps homeostasis. For study only: this page describes anatomy, not symptoms or treatment.
Part 4 · Label the brain
Label the brain diagram
A simplified side view with the front on the left. It is not to scale and the deep structures are drawn as if the brain were cut down the middle. Match each number to a name, then check.
Part 5 · Practice questions
16 practice questions, every answer explained
The 12 nerves, the mnemonic words, the sensory and motor types, the lobes, the diencephalon, the cerebellum and the brain stem. Your result is free and needs no sign-up.
Question 1 of 16
Which cranial nerve carries the sense of smell?
The bonus
The printable study sheet and 20 more questions
Locked until you unlock the bonus above
- A one-page study sheet to print: both mnemonics, the 12 cranial nerves with type and job, and the brain regions.
- 20 more practice questions on the nerves, the mnemonics, the lobes and the brain stem, every answer explained.
Sources
Where these facts come from
Everything on this page is written in our own words from these public sources. Where your course teaches it differently, your course materials decide.
- OpenStax, Anatomy and Physiology 2e, 13.2 The Central Nervous System · The cerebral lobes, the thalamus, the hypothalamus, the cerebellum and the three parts of the brain stem.
- OpenStax, Anatomy and Physiology 2e, 13.4 The Peripheral Nervous System · The table of the 12 cranial nerves (number, name, type, function) and the “On Old Olympus’ Towering Tops” couplet.
More free study tools: the dermatome map and nerve study sheet, medical abbreviations and word parts and the skills finder.
Questions
Common questions
Yes. The mnemonic drill, both tables, the labeling exercise and the 16 practice questions are free, and your result needs no sign-up. An email unlocks the bonus: a printable one-page study sheet and 20 more questions.
One that textbooks print is “On Old Olympus’ Towering Tops, A Finn And German Viewed Some Hops”: each word starts with the same letter as the nerve, in order from I to XII. A second memory aid, “Some Say Marry Money, But My Brother Says Big Brains Matter More”, gives the type of each nerve (S sensory, M motor, B both). Use whichever you can remember; both are on this page.
No. A mnemonic is a study trick that helps you recall an order. It does not tell you what a nerve does, so learn the jobs in the table too. If your course teaches a different phrase, use that one.
The textbook description is that the hypothalamus is largely involved in regulating homeostasis, while the thalamus relays information between the cerebral cortex and the periphery, spinal cord or brain stem. Both are parts of the diencephalon; hypo means under, and the hypothalamus sits below the thalamus.
It is largely responsible for comparing information from the cerebrum with sensory feedback. It sits behind the brain stem, below the back of the cerebrum.
No. This is a study aid for people in anatomy and physiology, nursing, medical assisting and similar programs. It describes anatomy only. It does not cover symptoms, diagnosis or treatment, it takes no patient details, and your course materials and instructor come first.
OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, chapter 13: the cranial nerve table and the central nervous system section on the brain regions. Both are listed below.