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Trigeminal Nerves

The Trigeminal nerve

-(the fifth cranial, also called the fifth nerve or simply V)
-is the largest of the cranial nerves, and is responsible for sensation in the face.
-Sensory information from the face and body is processed by parallel pathways in the central nervous system.
-The fifth nerve is primarily a sensory nerve, but it also has certain motor functions (biting, chewing and swallowing).
-The cranial nerves, the trigeminal nerve included, emerge from or enter the skull (the cranium), as opposed to the spinal nerves which emerge from the vertebral column.
I received this information off of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigeminal_nerve#Function

The trigeminal nerve as the name indicates is composed of three large branches.
>ophthalmic (V1, sensory) Trigeminal Nerve's - The Anatomy Wiki

>maxillary (V2, sensory)
>mandibular (V3, motor and sensory)
-The large sensory root and smaller motor root leave the brainstem at the midlateral surface of pons.
-The sensory root terminates in the largest of the cranial nerve nuclei which extends from the pons all the way down into the second cervical level of the spinal cord.
-The sensory root joins the trigeminal or semilunar ganglion between the layers of the dura mater in a depression on the floor of the middle crania fossa.
>This depression is the location of the so called Meckle's cave.
Ophthallmic
-The ophthalmic and maxillary branches travel in the wall of the cavernous sinus just prior to leaving the cranium.
-The ophthalmic branch travels through the superior orbital fissure and passes through the orbit to reach the skin of the forehead and top of the head.

Maxillary
-The maxillary nerve enters the cranium through the foramen rotundum via the pterygopalatine fossa.
>Its sensory branches reach the pterygopalatine fossa via the inferior orbital fissure (face, cheek and upper teeth) and pterygopalatine canal (soft and hard palate, nasal cavity and pharynx).

Mandibular
-The motor root originates from cells located in the masticator motor nucleus of trigeminal nerve located in the midpons of the brainstem.
-The motor root passes through the trigeminal ganglion and combines with the corresponding sensory root to become the mandibular nerve.
>It is distributed to the muscles of mastication, the mylohyoid muscle and the anterior belly of the digastric.
-The mandibular nerve also innervates the tensor veli palatini and tensor tympani muscles.
-The sensory part of the mandibular nerve is composed of branches that carry general sensory information from the mucous membranes of the mouth and cheek, anterior two-thirds of the tongue, lower teeth, skin of the lower jaw, side of the head and scalp and meninges of the anterior and middle cranial fossae

-The three sensory branches of the trigeminal nerve emanate from the ganglia to form the three branches of the trigeminal nerve.
-There are also meningeal sensory branches that enter the trigeminal ganglion within the cranium.

Injuries
-Problems with the sensory part of the trigeminal nerve result in pain or loss of sensation in the face
>Trigeminal Neuralgia
-Of all of the nerve pain disorders, trigeminal neuralgia is the most frequently occurring.
-This pain nerve disorder develops in mid to late life.
-Pain is restricted to only one side of the face in 97% of cases.
-Trigeminal Neuroalgia, feels like "bursts of sharp, stabbing, electric-shocks" (Trigeminal Neuralgia 1).
-These feelings of pain can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes.
-The pain comes from the opthalamic, maxillary, or manidbular branch of the trigeminal nerve. However, the maxillary and mandibular divisions is where pain most commonly occurs.
-Problems with the motor root of the trigeminal nerve result in deviation of the jaw toward the affected side and trouble chewing.
-Trigeminal Neuralgia is traumatic because it affects a person's common daily activities such as eating and sleeping.
-Undereating and sleep deprivation can occur because people live in constant fear of having a pain attack.
-This nerve pain disorder can also lead to anticipatory anxiety and sometimes even suicidal depression.
Treatment for Trigeminal Neuralgia:
-Medication used for trigeminal nerualgia is also the same medication used for seizures. These antiseizure agents suppress excessive nerve tissue activity, which is the cause of the painful syndrome.
-Pain specialists use invasive therapy, including nerve blocks, nerve destruction, and nerve decompression techniques, as well as drug therapy to treat trigeminal neuralgia.
-If doctors clearly determine the cause of the disorder to be compression of an artery on the trigeminal nerve deep in your skull, a neurosurgeon can perform a microvascular decompression.

The surgeon moves the compressing artery to a location away from the compressed root of the nerve.
The major disadvantage is that it requires a neurosurgical operation-with all its complications-to get access to the root of the trigeminal nerve.

I received this information from: http://www.emedicinehealth.com/trigeminal_neuralgia_facial_nerve_pain/article_em.htm

Trigeminal Nerve's - The Anatomy Wiki

Trigeminal Neuralgia can occur and all three of the branches the arrows are pointing toward.
This image was taken from: http://content.revolutionhealth.com/contentimages/images-image_popup-bn7_trigemneuralgia.jpg

SUhowell	Latest page update: made by SUhowell , Apr 28 2009, 1:08 AM EDT (about this update About This Update Edited by SUhowell 125 words added view changes - complete history)
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