Everything about The Vestibulocochlear Nerve totally explained
The
vestibulocochlear nerve (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.
Structure
This is the
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.
Functions
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's used for hearing.
Innervations
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.
Physiology
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.
Symptoms of damage
vertigo, false sense of motion, loss of equilibrium (dark places), nystagmus, motion sickness
Name
Some older texts call the nerve the
acoustic or
auditory nerve (External Link
), 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.
Additional images
Image:Gray689.png|Superficial dissection of brain-stem. Ventral view.
Image:Gray705.png|Dissection showing the projection fibers of the cerebellum.
Image:Gray719.png|Hind- and mid-brains; postero-lateral view.
Image:Gray792.png|Upper part of medulla spinalis and hind- and mid-brains; posterior aspect, exposed in situ.
Image:Gray922.png|Position of the right bony labyrinth of the ear in the skull, viewed from above.
Image:ThreeNeuronArc.png |Vestibulo-ocular reflex
Further Information
Get more info on 'Vestibulocochlear Nerve'.
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