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Trigeminal nerve
Pronunciation
Definition 1
The main sensory nerve of the head and face, and the motor nerve of the muscles used in chewing. Also called fifth cranial nerve. (NCI Dictionary)
Definition 2
The fifth set of paired nerves of the face that emerge from the brain steam. These nerves have sensory and motor functions in the face, oral cavity, and nasal cavity. (NCI Thesaurus)
Definition 3
The 5th and largest cranial nerve. The trigeminal nerve is a mixed motor and sensory nerve. The larger sensory part forms the ophthalmic, mandibular, and maxillary nerves which carry afferents sensitive to external or internal stimuli from the skin, muscles, and joints of the face and mouth and from the teeth. Most of these fibers originate from cells of the trigeminal ganglion and project to the trigeminal nucleus of the brain stem. The smaller motor part arises from the brain stem trigeminal motor nucleus and innervates the muscles of mastication. (NLM, Medical Subject Headings)
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