Cranial nerve 12 | 合法醫療器材資訊網

Thehypoglossalnerveispurelymotornerve,whichinnervatesextrinsictonguemusclesandgeniohyoidmuscle.Itoriginatesfromitmotornucleusfoundinthe ...

Author: Jana Vasković MD[1] • Reviewer: Dimitrios Mytilinaios MD, PhD[2] Last reviewed: September 28, 2023 Reading time: 10 minutes

When it comes to the innervation of the[3] head and neck[4], we know it’s all about the cranial nerves[5]. Explaining all of them at once would mean too much complex information and facts, so in this particular article, we will be focused on the anatomy and the clinical importance of the last, but certainly not the least, 12th cranial nerve called the hypoglossal nerve (CN XII).

The hypoglossal nerve is purely motor nerve[6], which innervates extrinsic tongue muscles and geniohyoid muscle[7]. It originates from it motor nucleus found in the ventral medulla oblongata.