Structure:
The facial nerve supplies sensory and motor nerves to the lateral side
of the head, including to specialized surface motion sensors, to the lacrimal
gland of the eye, and to muscles and taste buds of the mouth. It also supplies
sensory nerves to the vomeronasal organ of the nasal sac. The facial nerve
begins in the brainstem, with connections through the hypothalamus
and thalamus to the cerebrum.
Function:
The sensory and motor nerves to the lateral side of the head, including
to specialized surface motion sensors,
collect stimuli from the skin
of the head, tastes from the mouth,
and vomodors from the nasal sac. The motor
nerves allow the tongue to flip outward for catching prey, and returning
both.The vomeronasal organ in the nasal sac is an accessory olfactory
system that allows sampling of vomodors from air moving through. These
are important for social and reproductive
functions.
