V — Trigeminal nerve

Looks like

The thickest cranial nerve, splitting into three branches across the forehead, cheek and jaw.

What it does

Feeling for the whole face, and the muscles of chewing.

Keeping it well

Nothing routine; lightning pain on one side of the face triggered by touch is trigeminal neuralgia and is treatable.

Its parts

• Trigeminal ganglion
• Anterior ethmoidal nerve
• Frontal nerve
• Infratrochlear nerve
• Lacrimal nerve
• Long ciliary nerve
• Nasociliary nerve
• Ophthalmic nerve
• Posterior ethmoidal nerve
• Supra-orbital nerve
• Supratrochlear nerve
• Mandibular nerve
• Motor root of trigeminal nerve
• Sensory root of trigeminal nerve

Related conditions

• Amyloidosis (AL and ATTR)
• Botulism
• Chickenpox (varicella)
• Chronic neuropathic pain
• Chronic pain syndrome
• Cluster headache
• Cold sores (herpes simplex)
• Fibromyalgia
• Guillain-Barré syndrome
• Lyme disease
• Migraine
• Myasthenia gravis
• Peripheral neuropathy
• Rabies
• Restless legs syndrome
• Shingles (herpes zoster)
• Tetanus
• Trigeminal neuralgia
• Vitamin B1, C and other deficiencies