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Book

Neuroanatomy, Cranial Nerve 3 (Oculomotor)

Christopher Joyce  1 , Patrick H. Le  2 , Diana C. Peterson  3
In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan.
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Book

Neuroanatomy, Cranial Nerve 3 (Oculomotor)

Christopher Joyce et al.
Free Books & Documents

Excerpt

The oculomotor nerve (the third cranial nerve; CN III) has three main motor functions:

  1. Innervation to the pupil and lens (autonomic, parasympathetic)

  2. Innervation to the upper eyelid (somatic)

  3. Innervation of the eye muscles that allow for visual tracking and gaze fixation (somatic)

Like all other nerve fibers in the human body, the oculomotor nerve can become impaired in disease states which can lead to lifelong impairment in normal vision. Dysfunction can also be indicative of more serious underlying diseases, such as an aneurysm or a neoplasm.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: Christopher Joyce declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Patrick Le declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Diana Peterson declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

References

    1. Heiland Hogan MB, Subramanian S, Das JM. StatPearls [Internet] StatPearls Publishing; Treasure Island (FL): 2022. Dec 26, Neuroanatomy, Edinger–Westphal Nucleus (Accessory Oculomotor Nucleus) - PubMed
    1. Modi P, Arsiwalla T. StatPearls [Internet] StatPearls Publishing; Treasure Island (FL): 2023. Jul 4, Cranial Nerve III Palsy. - PubMed
    1. Lee VM, Sechrist JW, Luetolf S, Bronner-Fraser M. Both neural crest and placode contribute to the ciliary ganglion and oculomotor nerve. Dev Biol. 2003 Nov 15;263(2):176-90. - PubMed
    1. Young HM, Cane KN, Anderson CR. Development of the autonomic nervous system: a comparative view. Auton Neurosci. 2011 Nov 16;165(1):10-27. - PubMed
    1. Marwitt R, Pilar G, Weakly JN. Characterization of two ganglion cell populations in avian ciliary ganglia. Brain Res. 1971 Jan 22;25(2):317-34. - PubMed

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