Cranial Nerve - Mnemonic Devices

Mnemonic Devices

As the list is important to keep in mind during the examination of the nervous system, there are many mnemonic devices in circulation to help remember the names and order of the cranial nerves. Because the mind recalls rhymes well, the best mnemonics often use rhyming schemes.

An example mnemonic sentence for the initial letters "OOOTTAFAGVSH" is "On old Olympus' towering tops, a Finn and German viewed some hops," and for the initial letters "OOOTTAFVGVAH" is "Oh, oh, oh, to touch and feel very good velvet...ah, heaven." The differences between these depend on "acoustic" versus "vestibulocochlea" and "spinal-accessory" versus "accessory".

A useful mnemonic for remembering which nerves are motor (M), sensory (S), or both (B) is, "Some Say Money Matters But My Brother Says Big Brains Matter Most", or "Some Say Marry Money, But My Brother Says Better Borrow More Money". Another variation is "Some Say Marry Money, But My Brother Says Big Boobs Matter More", which is a bit sexist, but because of that it is easier to remember. There are many more mnemonics from many sources, for example OLd OPi.e. OCcasionally TRies TRIGonometry And Feels VEry GLOomy, VAGUe, And HYPOactive.