Facial Nerve Nucleus

**Semantic type:** Body Part, Organ, or Organ Component

**Definition:** A collection of cell bodies of cranial nerve VII found in the brainstem. There are three nuclei with distinct functions: the facial motor nucleus, which sends muscular efferent nerves to the muscles of facial expression and the stapedius; the superior salivary nucleus, which sends visceral parasympathetic efferent nerves mostly to the lacrimal and salivary glands; and the geniculate ganglion, which receives mostly afferent nerves for taste sensation.

**Synonyms:** - Facial Nucleus