During an assessment of the cranial nerves (CNs) , the nurse finds the following: asymmetry when the patient smiles or frowns, uneven lifting of the eyebrows, sagging of the lower eyelids, and escape of air when the nurse presses against the right puffed cheek. These findings indicate dysfunction of which cranial nerve(s) ?

A) Motor component of CN IV
B) Motor component of CN VII
C) Motor and sensory components of CN XI
D) Motor component of CN X and sensory component of CN VII

Question

Veronica Eberhardt · Accepted Answer

Final Answer : B, Explanation :  The nurse's findings all reflect motor dysfunction, none are sensory. The specific cranial nerve affected is the facial nerve (CN VII). Cranial nerve IV, the trochlear nerve, innervates a muscle in the eye muscle and is responsible for eye movement, not the symptoms this patient is experiencing. The nurse's findings all reflect motor dysfunction, none are sensory, therefore options c and d can be eliminated because they each contain a sensory component.

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