Neurons of these plates form cell columns and, as occurred in the cord, they form sensory nuclei of termination and motor nuclei of origin. Unlike the spinal cord, the brainstem receives special sensory information which is different from that of the spinal cord. Whereas the spinal cord supplies skeletal muscle which originated from somites, in the head, there is skeletal muscle which in addition to (head) somite origin originates from branchial arches.

Hence, in addition to the 4 components of spinal nerves i.e.,

1) general somatic afferents (GSA),
2) general visceral afferents (GVA),
3) general somatic efferents (GSE), and
4) general visceral efferents (GVE)

Cranial nerves contain 3 additional components

5) special somatic afferents - auditory & vestibular (SSA),
6) special visceral afferents - taste & smell (SVA) and
7) special visceral efferents - muscles of the jaw, face & larynx (SVE).

Vision and olfaction are cranial nerves associated with the diencephalon and cerebral hemispheres.