Facial nerve

Facial nerve
The course of the facial nerve is shown here
The nerves of the scalp, face, and side of neck.
Details
From	Facial nerve nucleus, intermediate nerve
To	Greater superficial petrosal nerve
Innervates	Motor: Muscles of facial expression, posterior belly of digastric, stylohyoid, stapedius Special sensory: taste to anterior two-thirds of tongue Parasympathetic: submandibular gland, sublingual gland, lacrimal glands
Identifiers
Latin	nervus facialis
MeSH	D005154
NeuroNames	551
TA98	A14.2.01.099
TA2	6284
FMA	50868
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy [edit on Wikidata]

The facial nerve, also known as the seventh cranial nerve, cranial nerve VII, or simply CN VII, is a cranial nerve that emerges from the pons of the brainstem, controls the muscles of facial expression, and functions in the conveyance of taste sensations from the anterior two-thirds of the tongue.^[1][2] The nerve typically travels from the pons through the facial canal in the temporal bone and exits the skull at the stylomastoid foramen.^[3] It arises from the brainstem from an area posterior to the cranial nerve VI (abducens nerve) and anterior to cranial nerve VIII (vestibulocochlear nerve).

The facial nerve also supplies preganglionic parasympathetic fibers to several head and neck ganglia.

The facial and intermediate nerves can be collectively referred to as the nervus intermediofacialis.