source; http://legacy.owensboro.kctcs.edu/gcaplan/anat2/histology/histo%20J%20digestive%20system.htm The facial nerve is the seventh (VII) of twelve paired cranial nerves . It emerges from the brainstem between the pons and the medulla , and controls the muscles of facial expression, and functions in the conveyance of taste sensations from the anterior two-thirds of the tongue and oral