Transitional Nerve: A New and Original Classification of a Peripheral Nerve Supported by the Nature of the Accessory Nerve (CN XI)
Table 2
Renumeration of cranial nerves following the application of the definition of a cranial nerve. To be defined as a cranial nerve the nuclei must originate from the brainstem, communicate with a foramen of the skull and secondary neuron whose cell bodies are located in the brainstem. This criteria still produced 12 cranial nerves.
Current order
Assessment results
New order
(1) Olfactory
Eliminates, (1) nucleus not in brainstem, (2) primary sensory neuron
(2) Optic
Eliminated, (1) nucleus not in brainstem, (2) primary sensory neuron
(3) Oculomotor
Becomes 1st cranial nerve
(1) Oculomotor
(4) Trochlear
Becomes 2nd cranial nerve
(2) Trochlear
(5) Trigeminal
Is split into 2 separate nerves due to separate nuclei-current sensory remains as trigeminal with ophthalmic, maxillary, and mandibular divisions as 4th cranial nerve, motor of trigeminal becomes the masticatory nerve and is now the 3rd cranial nerve
(3) Masticatory (4) Trigeminal
(6) Abducens
Moves to the 5th cranial nerve
(5) Abducens
(7) Facial
Due to separate nuclei, facial becomes 6th cranial nerve; nervous intermedius becomes the 7th cranial nerve
(6) Facial (7) Nervous Intermedius
(8) Vestibulocochlear
Is split into 2 nerves due to separate nuclei and separate modalities. Vestibular nerve becomes the 8th cranial nerve; and the cochlear nerve becomes the 9th cranial nerve
(8) Vestibular (9) Cochlear
(9) Glossopharyngeal
Becomes the 10th cranial nerve
(10) Glossopharyngeal
(10) Vagus
Is split into 2 divisions due to target organs:
(11) Vagus:
(1) Laryngopalatopharyngeal (formerly cranial root of 11)
