How many pairs of cranial nerves are there?

There are a total of 12 pairs of cranial nerves in the human body. These nerves emerge directly from the brain, including the brainstem, and are responsible for various functions, including sensory and motor activities related to the head and neck. Each pair is designated with a Roman numeral, I through XII, indicating their order of emergence from the brain. For instance, the first pair, the olfactory nerves, are involved in the sense of smell, while the second pair, the optic nerves, are related to vision. The remaining pairs serve a variety of roles, including controls of facial movements, hearing, balance, and autonomic functions in the head and neck area. The identification and understanding of these cranial nerves are crucial for fields related to neuroscience and intraoperative neuromonitoring.