1st cervical spinal nerve (C1); suboccipital nerve

Function

• C1 carries motor fibers only

Course

• exits spinal cord above the 1st cervical vertebra (atlas).
• the dorsal primary ramus passes between the vertebral artery & the posterior arch of the atlas
• the ventral primary ramus curves around the atlanto-occipital joint

More general terms

• cervical spinal nerve

Additional terms

• greater occipital nerve
• suboccipital nerve