Question: what do the 12 cranial nerves innervate?
Answer: The hypoglossal nerve is the twelfth cranial nerve (XII) and innervates all extrinsic and intrinsic muscles of the tongue, except for the palatoglossus. The hypoglossal nerve emerges from the medulla oblongata in the preolivary sulcus where it separates the olive (olivary body) and the pyramid (medullary pyramid).