Terminal nerve
![](/Images/godic/202502/04/Lawrence_1960_1.33438.png")
![The original images (1878) of Fritsch's dogfish shark brain showing the nerve marked by an asterisk.](/Images/godic/202502/04/Fritsch_dogfish_shark_brain3438.png")
![](/Images/godic/202502/04/Sobo_1909_6293438.png")
The terminal nerve, or cranial nerve zero, was discovered by German scientist Gustav Fritsch in 1878 in the brains of sharks. It was first found in humans in 1913. A 1990 study has indicated that the terminal nerve is a common finding in the adult human brain. The nerve has been called by other names, including cranial nerve XIII, Zero Nerve, Nerve N, and NT.