Activity 2
Your patient recently had a viral infection and now she cannot move the muscles on the right side of her face. In addition, she is experiencing a loss of taste and dry mouth and she cannot close her right eye. Which cranial nerves have been affected by the viral infection?
When my patient recently had a viral infection and had symptoms including the inability to move the right facial muscles, loss of taste, dry mouth, and inability to close the right eye, then this indicates that my patient is suffering from neuropathy, specifically Bell’s palsy (facial neuropathy).
A neuropathy is any condition that affects the nervous system, particularly a disorder of a cranial or spinal nerve. Therefore, we can state that the seventh cranial nerve, also known as the facial nerve (VII), may be impacted by the viral infection. This is true because the facial nerve conveys sensory impulses from many of the taste buds on the tongue as well as controls the contraction of skeletal muscles of the face, the tear gland, and the secretion of the salivary glands. Wherein, damage to the aforementioned nerve might result in facial drooping on the affected side, inability to wrinkle the forehead, close the eye, or pucker the lips on that side, drooling, and difficulties swallowing.
Reference: Tortora, G. J., & Derrickson, B. (2017). Principles of Anatomy & Physiology. Fifteenth edition; Wiley Loose-Leaf Print Companion. Hoboken, New Jersey, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.