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Cranial Nerve 12 - Hypoglossal (XII)
The hypoglossal nerve conveys sensations from the tongue muscles and controls the movement of these same muscles.
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The hypoglossal nerve is primarily motor in function (Parent, 1996). It originates in the medulla and passes through the hypoglossal canal to supply the muscles of the tongue during speech and swallowing. The smaller, sensory portion of the hypoglossal nerve conveys proprioception information from the muscles of the tongue innervated by this nerve.
| Reference |
Parent, A. (1996). Carpenter's human neuroanatomy (9th ed.). London: Williams & Wilkins.