ON OLD OLYMPUS' TOWERING TOPS
sentence mnemonic/ɒn əʊld əˈlɪm.pəs ˈtaʊə.rɪŋ tɒps/
Anatomy
Definition
1.The twelve cranial nerves, in order from I to XII.
Expansion
- OnOlfactory (I) — smell
- OldOptic (II) — vision
- Olympus'Oculomotor (III) — most eye movement; pupil constriction
- ToweringTrochlear (IV) — superior oblique — looks down-and-in
- TopsTrigeminal (V) — facial sensation; mastication
- AAbducens (VI) — lateral rectus — abducts the eye
- FinnFacial (VII) — facial expression; taste (anterior tongue)
- AndAuditory / Vestibulocochlear (VIII) — hearing and balance
- GermanGlossopharyngeal (IX) — gag (sensory); taste (posterior tongue)
- ViewedVagus (X) — parasympathetic to the viscera
- SomeSpinal accessory (XI) — sternocleidomastoid and trapezius
- HopsHypoglossal (XII) — tongue movement
Notes
The classic full line is "On Old Olympus' Towering Tops, A Finn And German Viewed Some Hops." Each word's initial gives the next cranial nerve in sequence.
Pair it with its sister mnemonic to remember whether each nerve is Sensory, Motor, or Both.
Origin
A Victorian schoolroom verse mapping a climb up Olympus onto the twelve cranial nerves.
See also
- SOME SAY MARRY MONEY — Whether each cranial nerve is Sensory, Motor, or Both.