Question

Cranial nerves are part of
A. Sympathetic nervous system
B. Parasympathetic nervous system
C. Somatic nervous system
D. Central nervous system

Answer 1

Cranial reflexes are controlled by cranial nerves that involve sensory and motor nerve fibres. It controls involuntary responses of the head region. There are twelve pairs of cranial nerves. Many cranial nerves contain both afferent and efferent fibres and are known as mixed nerves.

Complete answer:
Nerves that emerge from the brain and brain stem and extend throughout the body are termed as cranial nerves. They help in carrying information from the brain to the head region and some other parts of the body. They help to facilitate smell, vision, muscle movement, and hearing. They help to control the involuntary actions of the head, neck, and other facial regions of the body. They arise from the brain and exit through the foramina. They form a part of the peripheral nervous system or PNS. Most of the involuntary actions such as salivation, sneezing, and blushing are cranial reflexes. While scratching is a type of voluntary action and is controlled by the spinal nerves of the brain. The figure below shows the location of different types of nerves-

Hence, the correct answer is option B.

Note: Many cranial nerves belong to the somatic system and are responsible for sensory and motor functions because they contain only sensory and motor fibres. The naming of the cranial nerves is related to their function. They can be named using Roman numerals ranging from I-XII. The cranial nerves arise from the specific part of the brain stem.