Cranial nerves are the nerves that emerge directly from the brain (including the brainstem), of which there are conventionally considered twelve pairs. Cranial nerves relay information between the brain and parts of the body, primarily to and from regions of the head and neck, including the special senses of vision, taste, smell, and hearing.The cranial nerves emerge from the central nervous system above the level of the first vertebrae of the vertebral column. [Source: Wikipedia 
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