Mnemonic

Cranial Nerve Sensory Motor or Both

Mnemonic for whether each cranial nerve is sensory, motor or mixed.

Expansion

Some Say Marry Money But My Brother Says Big Brains Matter More

Mnemonic

“Some Say Marry Money But My Brother Says Big Brains Matter Most”, in nerve order I to XII:

  • S - I Sensory
  • S - II Sensory
  • M - III Motor
  • M - IV Motor
  • B - V Both
  • M - VI Motor
  • B - VII Both
  • S - VIII Sensory
  • B - IX Both
  • B - X Both
  • M - XI Motor
  • M - XII Motor

The parasympathetic nerves are III, VII, IX and X, remembered as “1, 9, 7, 3” counting the four cranial outflows, and they end in the four ganglia of the head.

Expansion

  • S - Olfactory (Sensory)
  • S - Optic (Sensory)
  • M - Oculomotor (Motor)
  • M - Trochlear (Motor)
  • B - Trigeminal (Both)
  • M - Abducens (Motor)
  • B - Facial (Both)
  • S - Vestibulocochlear (Sensory)
  • B - Glossopharyngeal (Both)
  • B - Vagus (Both)
  • M - Accessory (Motor)
  • M - Hypoglossal (Motor)