While assessing a patient's cranial nerves, the nurse asks the patient to raise the eyebrows, smile and show the teeth to assess which cranial nerve?

Appeared in: AIIMS Rishikesh & Jodhpur NO - 2017

Explanation

The actions of raising the eyebrows, smiling, and showing the teeth are all controlled by the muscles of facial expression.
The Facial nerve (Cranial Nerve VII) is the motor nerve responsible for innervating these specific muscles.
Therefore, asking a patient to perform these movements is the standard method for assessing the function of the Facial nerve.
Observing for symmetry and strength during these movements helps identify any potential nerve damage or weakness.

Option A: The Auditory (or Vestibulocochlear) nerve (CN VIII) is responsible for hearing and balance, not facial movements.
Option B: The Olfactory nerve (CN I) is purely sensory and is responsible for the sense of smell.
Option D: The Optic nerve (CN II) is a sensory nerve responsible for vision.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Use the key finding related to Assessment of Cranial Nerves to guide bedside assessment, documentation, and the next nursing action.
Assessing the facial nerve is a fundamental nursing skill used in neurological examinations to quickly screen for serious conditions.
Facial asymmetry or weakness discovered during this test can be a primary indicator of a stroke (cerebrovascular accident) or Bell's palsy, requiring immediate medical attention.
What if? If a patient can raise their eyebrows but cannot create a full smile on one side, this could suggest a central facial palsy (often seen in stroke), as the forehead muscles receive signals from both sides of the brain, whereas the lower face does not. This finding would necessitate an urgent neurological consult.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key actions described in the question stem: 'raise the eyebrows, smile and show the teeth'.
Recognize that these are all movements of the facial muscles, related to expression.
Recall the functions of the 12 cranial nerves, specifically which nerve controls the muscles of facial expression.
Match the function (facial expression) to the correct cranial nerve among the options provided.
Eliminate the other options by recalling their primary functions: Auditory (hearing/balance), Olfactory (smell), and Optic (vision).

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Assessment of Cranial Nerves
Stem keywords: cranial nerves, assessing, raise the eyebrows, smile, show the teeth
Lead-in keywords: assess which cranial nerve
Clinical cues: The specific motor commands (raise eyebrows, smile, show teeth) are direct indicators of testing the muscles of facial expression.

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Practise the full AIIMS Rishikesh & Jodhpur NO - 2017

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.