Nerve List

 

Upper Extremity

 

Spinal Accessory nerve

Dorsal Scapular nerve

Thoracodorsal nerve

Suprascapular nerve

Nerve to subclavius

Upper and Lower subscapular nerves

Medial and Lateral Pectoral nerves

Medial Brachial cutaneous nerve

Medial Antibrachial cutaneous nerve

Musculocutaneous nerve

Median nerve

Ulnar nerve

Axillary nerve

Radial Nerve

Long thoracic nerve

 

                With the exception of the Spinal Accessory nerve all of these nerves arise from the brachial plexus, which can be divided into roots, trunk, divisions, and cords.

 

Thorax

 

                The thoracic walls are innervated by ventral rami of spinal nerves. These are referred to as intercostal nerves. An exception is the diaphragm, the floor of the thorax, which is innervated by the phrenic nerve from the cervical plexus. All muscles of the deep back, including those in the thoracic region, are innervated by dorsal rami of spinal nerves.

 

The organs of the thoracic region are innervated by nerves of the autonomic nervous system. Some of these nerves arise from cranial nerves while others arise from various regions of the spinal cord.

 

Abdomen/Pelvis

 

                The walls of the abdominal cavity are innervated by ventral rami of the last 6 thoracic nerves and the ilioinguinal and iliohypogastric nerves, with the expection of the diaphragm, the roof of the abdominal cavity, which is innervated by the phrenic nerve from the cervical plexus.

 

                The lumbar plexus is found associated with the abdominal cavity. This plexus is found buried within the fibers of the psoas major muscle. The lumbar plexus gives rise to the following nerves:

 

Ilioinguinal nerve

Iliohypogastric nerve

Lateral Femoral Cutaneous nerve

Genitofemoral nerve

Femoral nerve

Obturator nerve

 

Nerves of the gluteal region and lower extremity arise from the sacral plexus which is found within the pelvic cavity. The nerves of the sacral plexus are:

 

                Superior Gluteal nerve

                Inferior Gluteal nerve

                Nerve to Piriformis

                Perforating Cutaneous nerve

                Nerve to Inferior Gemellus and Quadratus Femoris

                Nerve to Superior Gemellus and Obturator Internus

                Posterior Femoral Cutaneous nerve

                Pudendal nerve

                Common Peroneal nerve

                Tibial nerve

Note: the common peroneal nerve and the tibial nerve together make up the sciatic nerve.

 

Head and Neck

 

Muscles and structures of the head and neck are innervated by either cranial nerves off of the brainstem or by nerves that arise from the cervical plexus.

 

                There are 12 cranial nerves that can be denoted by their name or by their number, always designated in Roman numerals and preceded with the upper case letters CN. These nerves all arise from the brainstem with the exception of CN I (the Olfactory nerve) which is actually a tract of the central nervous system and not a nerve at all. The 12 cranial nerves are:

 

                CN I                        Olfactory nerve

                CN II                       Optic nerve

                CN III                     Oculomotor nerve

                CN IV                     Trochlear nerve

                CN V                       Trigeminal nerve

                CN VI                     Abducens nerve

                CN VII                    Facial nerve

                CN VIII                   Vestibulocochlear nerve

                CN IX                     Glossopharyngeal nerve

                CN X                      Vagus nerve

                CN XI                     Spinal Accessory nerve

                CN XII                    Hypoglossal nerve

 

Nerves of the cervical plexus are easily divided into sensory or motor nerves. These nerves are:

 

                Sensory                                                 Motor

                                Lesser Occipital nerve                                         Nerve to Geniohyoid

                                Great Auricular nerve                                          Nerve to Thyrohyoid

                                Transverse Cervical nerve                                  Nerve to Superior Belly of Omohyoid

                                Supraclavicular nerves                                        Nerve to Inferior Belly of Omohyoid

                                                                                                                Nerve to sternothyroid

                                                                                                                Nerve to sternohyoid

 

                Note that the nerves to the superior and inferior bellies of the omohyoid muscle, sternohyoid muscle, and sternothyroid muscle all arise from a structure of the cervical plexus known as the ansa cervicalis which is further subdivided into the descendens hypoglossi and the descendens cervicalis

 

Other nerves arising from ventral rami of spinal nerves in the cervical region include the nerve to the Sternocleidomastoid muscle and nerves to the Trapezius and Levator scapulae muscles.