The (also known as the '''auditory''' or '''acoustic nerve''') is the eighth of twelve
Cranial Nerves , and is responsible for transmitting sound and equilibrium (balance) information from the
Inner Ear to the
Brain .
This
Nerve , along which the sensory cells (the
Hair Cells ) of the
Inner Ear transmit information to the
Brain . It consists of the
Cochlear Nerve , carrying information about
Hearing , and the
Vestibular Nerve , carrying information about
Balance .
It emerges from the
Medulla Oblongata and enters the inner
Skull via the
Internal Acoustic Meatus (or
Internal Auditory Meatus ) in the
Temporal Bone , along with the
Facial Nerve .
The eighth cranial nerve has two prime roles. It is needed to convey information of vestibular sensation - that is, the position and movement of the
Head . Secondly, it is used for hearing.
The nerve splits into two large divisions - the
Cochlear Nerve and the
Vestibular Nerve . Broadly speaking, the cochlear nerve innervates the
Cochlea , while the vestibular nerve goes to the
Vestibular Apparatus .
How hearing information is coded on the nerve has long been a matter of scientific debate between two competing theories, a
Place Theory and a
Rate Theory .
Some older texts call the nerve the ''acoustic'' or ''auditory nerve''
{Link without Title} , but these terms have fallen out of widespread use because they fail to recognize the nerve's role in the vestibular system. ''Vestibulocochlear nerve'' is therefore preferred by most.
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