I. Olfactory: sensory for nose

Have the subject identify the smell of the coffee & cloves solutions.

II. Optic: sensory for eyes

Hold a page of printing a couple of feet away from your subject. Cover one eye at a time and have the subject
read the page (use eyeglasses if normally worn).

III. Oculomotor: motor for eye muscles

Keep your subjects head still while you slowly move a penlight up and down in front of each eye. Ask them to follow the light.

Check for drooping eyelids

In a dark room bring the penlight in from the side of each eye and check to make sure the pupils constrict.

IV & VI Trochlear & Abducens: motor for eye muscles

Keep the subjects head still while you slowly move a penlight left and right in front of both eyes. Ask them to follow the light with their eyes.

V. Trigeminal: mixed - sensory and motor for head

Sensory activity: skin of head

Touch both sides of the face in the areas of the scalp, forehead, nose, cheek, chin, upper & lower eyelid,

and upper & lower lip with dry cotton.

Motor activity: muscles of mastication

Ask the subject to clench their teeth.

Ask the subject to open their mouth while you apply subtle pressure under their chin.

VII. Facial: mixed - sensory for anterior tongue, motor for head

Sensory activity:

Touch the tip of the subjects tongue with a q-tip dipped in a 10% solution of Sodium Chloride (table salt).

Do the same with a 10% solution of glucose (sugar) on the anterior surface of the tongue.

Motor activity:

Have the subject, exhale with their mouth closed so as to expand their cheeks.

Also have them raise their eyebrows and wrinkle their forehead.

VIII. Vestibulocochlear: sensory for hearing & equilibrium

Cochlea (hearing):
Click your fingers lightly and whisper at a distance of 2 feet from each ear.

Vestibule (balance):

Slowly spin the subject around in a chair for 15 seconds with their eyes open (about 1turn every 2 seconds).

Quickly stop the chair and see if the subject’s eyes are quivering (moving rapidly).

Then have them get up and walk to see if they maintain their balance.

IX . Glossopharyngeal: mixed – sensory posterior tongue, motor salivary glands

Motor activity

While holding the tongue down with a tongue depressor have the subject say “ahhhh”.

Observe the uvula.

X. Vagus: mixed - sensory for abdomen, thorax, neck, and root of tongue

motor for pharynx, larynx, heart, lungs, digestive organs, spleen, kidneys

Sensory Activity
Touch the subject’s uvula with a q-tip and observe the response.

XI. Accessory: motor for neck muscles

Press mildly on the subjects shoulders and ask them to raise them.

Do the same on both sides of the subject’s head and have them turn their head left and right

XII. Hypoglossal: motor for tongue muscles

Observe the subject’s tongue while it is sticking straight out.