Nervus facialis

Nervus facialis (n. intermediofacialis; n. VII, lícní nerv)  se skládá ze dvou částí :


 * nervus facialis' - the brachial somatomotor nerve, developmentally a nerve of the 2nd pharyngeal arch;
 * nervus intermedius' - thinner part, visceromotor, somatosensory and viscerosensory fibers.

nuclei

 * nucleus nervi facialis' - somatomotor nucleus in the ponto; innervates the facial muscles, mimic, galea aponeurotica, platysma
 * nucleus salivatorius superior' - visceromotor, parasympathetic nucleus in the bridge; for gl. submandibularis, sublingualis, lacrimalis
 * ncl. spinalis n. trigemini' - somatosensory nucleus n. V, target of sensory fibers from the auricle region;
 * ncl. gustatorius' - rostral part of the nucleus tractus solitarii', gustatory nucleus.

Procedure
The facial nerve exits the nucleus first dorsally, wraps around the ncl. n. abducentis and emerges at the base of the 4th ventricle colliculus facialis

It emerges ventrally from the brain stem, in the angulus pontocerebellaris, into the posterior cranial fossa. It continues through the porus acusticus internus, meatus acusticus internus and fundus acusticus internus, passing through the cisterna pontocerebellaris in this short intracranial section.

It then passes through the canalis nervi facialis Falloppi.

It passes ventrally, then dorsolaterally curves to form a bend in the geniculum nervi facialis where the small ganglion geniculi also lies, and finally caudally and exits the skull in the foramen stylomastoideum. It enters posteriorly into the glandula parotis to form the plexus parotideus. It divides into upper and lower branches, for the mimic muscles of the upper and lower half of the face.

The geniculum (the junction of the ventral and dorsolateral parts) houses the gustatory ganglion (ganglion geniculi).