Definition

1. Noun:
   • Hypoglossal nerve: The "twelfth cranial nerve" is the final pair of cranial nerves. It is a motor nerve responsible for controlling the movements of the tongue. It supplies nerve impulses to the intrinsic muscles of the tongue (which shape the tongue) and most of the extrinsic muscles (which move the tongue in and out and side to side).

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Damage to the twelfth cranial nerve can cause the tongue to deviate to one side when protruded.
  • The surgeon carefully avoided the twelfth cranial nerve during the procedure.
  • The function of the twelfth cranial nerve is essential for speech and swallowing.

Advanced Usage

• Clinical assessment: In a neurological exam, testing the function of the twelfth cranial nerve involves asking the patient to stick out their tongue and move it from side to side.
  • The physician checked the integrity of the twelfth cranial nerve by observing tongue movement.

Variants and Related Words

• Hypoglossal nerve (n): The anatomical name and direct synonym for the twelfth cranial nerve.
  • The hypoglossal nerve exits the skull through the hypoglossal canal.
• Cranial nerve XII (n): The Roman numeral designation used in medical notation.
  • The report noted a possible lesion affecting Cranial Nerve XII.
• Hypoglossal (adj): Pertaining to the twelfth cranial nerve or the region beneath the tongue.
  • Hypoglossal nerve stimulation is a treatment for sleep apnea.

Synonyms

• Hypoglossal nerve: The primary and most precise synonym.
• Cranial nerve XII: The formal numerical synonym.

Related Phrases

• Hypoglossal canal (n): The bony opening in the skull through which the twelfth cranial nerve passes.
• Hypoglossal nucleus (n): The cluster of nerve cell bodies in the brainstem from which the twelfth cranial nerve originates.

Noun

1. supplies intrinsic muscles of the tongue and other tongue muscles