what is cranial
Cranial nerves are the nerves that emerge directly from the brain (including the brainstem), in contrast to spinal nerves (which emerge from segments of the spinal cord). Cranial nerves relay information between the brain and parts of the body, primarily to and from regions of the head and neck. Spinal nerves emerge sequentially from the spinal cord with the spinal nerve closest to the head (C1) emerging in the space above the first cervical vertebra. The cranial nerves, however, emerge from the central nervous system above this level. Each cranial nerve is paired and is present on both sides.