Structure and Development
- The vestibulocochlear nerve consists mostly of bipolar neurons.
- It splits into two large divisions: the cochlear nerve and the vestibular nerve.
- The 8th cranial nerve runs between the base of the pons and medulla oblongata.
- The junction between the pons, medulla, and cerebellum containing the 8th nerve is called the cerebellopontine angle.
- The vestibulocochlear nerve is accompanied by the labyrinthine artery.
- The vestibulocochlear nerve is derived from the embryonic otic placode.
Function
- The vestibulocochlear nerve transmits information from the sensory cells of the inner ear to the brain.
- It consists of the cochlear nerve, carrying details about hearing, and the vestibular nerve, carrying information about balance.
- It emerges from the pontomedullary junction and exits the inner skull via the internal acoustic meatus.
- The vestibulocochlear nerve carries axons of type special somatic afferent.
Clinical significance
- Symptoms of damage to the vestibulocochlear nerve may include hearing loss, vertigo, false sense of motion, loss of equilibrium (in dark places), nystagmus, motion sickness, and gaze-evoked tinnitus.
- Examinations that can be done to assess the vestibulocochlear nerve include the Rinne and Weber tests.
- Rinne's test helps determine if there is conductive or sensorineural hearing loss.
- Pure-tone testing and speech tests are also used to diagnose the pathology of the patient.
History
- The nerve was previously referred to as the 'acoustic' or 'auditory' nerve but these terms have fallen out of use.
- The term 'vestibulocochlear nerve' is now preferred to recognize its role in the vestibular system.
None
The vestibulocochlear nerve or auditory vestibular nerve, also known as the eighth cranial nerve, cranial nerve VIII, or simply CN VIII, is a cranial nerve that transmits sound and equilibrium (balance) information from the inner ear to the brain. Through olivocochlear fibers, it also transmits motor and modulatory information from the superior olivary complex in the brainstem to the cochlea.
| Vestibulocochlear nerve | |
|---|---|
 The course and connections of the facial nerve in the temporal bone | |
 Inferior view of the human brain, with the cranial nerves labelled. | |
| Details | |
| To | Cochlear nerve, vestibular nerve |
| Innervates | Hearing, balance |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | nervus vestibulocochlearis |
| MeSH | D000159 |
| NeuroNames | 553 |
| TA98 | A14.2.01.121 |
| TA2 | 6307 |
| FMA | 50869 |
| Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy | |
vestibulocochlear nerve (plural vestibulocochlear nerves)
