Which cranial nerve controls tongue movement?

• A. Vagus nerve
• B. Trigeminal nerve
• C. Hypoglossal nerve
• D. Facial nerve

Answer: (C)

Motor control of the tongue is carried by the hypoglossal nerve. This nerve travels from the medulla, exits the skull through the hypoglossal canal, and provides motor innervation to the intrinsic tongue muscles and most extrinsic muscles—genioglossus (protrudes), hyoglossus (depresses), and styloglossus (retracts and elevates). An exception is palatoglossus, which is innervated by the vagus nerve and assists with elevating the back of the tongue during swallowing but does not drive most tongue movements. Other cranial nerves handle sensation or taste rather than movement. So the nerve responsible for voluntary tongue movement is the hypoglossal nerve.