The optic nerve is essential for proper vision, and both of your eyes have one.

These nerve signals are then sent to the areas of your brain that deal with memory and smell recognition. When you smell something pleasant, such as bread baking, the aromatic molecules dissolve at the roof of your nasal cavity, which stimulates receptors to generate nerve impulses. It sends information to your brain about smells you encounter. The olfactory nerve is responsible for your sense of smell. Take a closer look at individual cranial nerves below.

Sensory refers to your five senses - touch, smell, taste, hearing, and sight - and motor nerves are responsible for controlling the movement and function of glands or muscles. Most of the time, cranial nerves are classified as being either sensory or motor. To prevent confusion (and because these nerves are located so close together), each pair is numbered with a Roman numeral, beginning at the front and moving to the back.įor example, the first nerve closest to the front of your head is the olfactory nerve, so its Roman numeral designation is I. These cranial nerves connect your brain to different parts of your head, neck, and trunk. There are 12 pairs of them, and they each have their own special function. Cranial NervesĬranial nerves are located on the bottom surface of your brain. All nerves are important for proper day-to-day functioning, but there are two groups of nerves chiropractors focus on the most: cranial and spinal nerves. These nerves and cells, called neurons, send messages throughout your body. The peripheral nervous system, which is made up of sensory neurons, clusters of neurons called ganglia, and other nerves that connect to one another as well as the rest of the central nervous system.The central nervous system, which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves.

The nervous system consists of two components: Find out more about what these nerves do and what makes them important below. You can think of nerves as your body's electrical wiring - they transmit signals between your brain, spinal cord, and the rest of your body. All these nerves are part of what’s known as your body's nervous system. Believe it or not, there are over 7 trillion nerves in the human body.

Most nerve endings in body