Cranial nerves rap

Hey man, what's up?

Yo, I was just calling about the cranial nerves test we have next week.

Yeah, what about it? You ready for it?

Nah, man; I find it so hard trying to remember all 12 nerves!

Yeah, I get that. Have you tried Osmosis?

What, put a textbook to my head and hope it diffuses into my brain?

No, man...Does that work?

I don't think so, I don't feel anything.

Well, I mean Osmosis, they're people who help med students learn! They make videos, yeah.

How much can you learn from a video?

You'd be surprised. Check this out!

Where is that music coming from?

Just listen closely:

Number one, the first piece in this whole gallery

Enjoy your favorite food without a sole calorie

Well it makes sense to me and I’m not talkin’ salary

The nerve pickin’ particles out is the olfactory

Number 2, let me get you up to speed with a synopsis

the nerve that I do all my seeing with is the optic

Passin’ through the pupil, light’s sent into the retina

Your eye will spy exactly where I’m going on this topic

But that’s not the only one controlling the eye, this

nerve: Number Three’s the one contracting the iris

If we’re speakin’ ciliary this is your controller

Or keep your eyes rollin with the oculomotor

If lights are movin’ up and down like a copier

What nerve is lettin’ your eyes follow? The trochlear

It’s Number Four, but it’s got a singular mission

Ironic that a purpose is prevent double vision

“The brain and the spinal cord

connecting like a circuit board,

to send signals from all of the above

Axons and dendrites

reading different stimuli

and store memories for learning or for love.”

Number Six, a sight nerve’s got you lookin’ left and right,

Like you’re crossing the street, or when you write and you read

or, if ya lookin’ to sneak, or following somebody serving

The abducens movin’ your eyes, like they’re swerving

Now back to number five, you thought I skipped one?

Nah, take V and make it three like I split one

It’d give your face a sensation if I hit one

I’m talkin’ trigeminal in general, I won’t pick one

This is still the fifth nerve

I’m gettin’ in your face, innervating the skin

V3 master of mastication and the lips to the chin

V2 is sensitive from the teeth to where you cry

V1 has got you covered from nose to hairline

The next nerve is the facial, gettin’ you expressin’

It’s on the tip of the tongue, oh yeah, Number Seven

Gets you salivating whenever there’s food nearby