Cochlear nerve

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Cochlear Nerve

File:Gray's Anatomy plate 720.png
The cochlear nerve as part of the vestibulocochlear nerve, from Gray's Anatomy

The Cochlear Nerve (also known as the acoustic nerve) is one of two parts of the vestibulocochlear nerve, the other being the vestibular nerve. The cochlear nerve carries auditory sensory information from the cochlea of the inner ear directly to the brain.

Structure[edit | edit source]

The cochlear nerve consists of bipolar neurons that convey electrochemical signals from the spiral ganglion cells in the cochlea to the cochlear nuclei at the base of the brain. The nerve fibers of the cochlear nerve are central to the functioning of the organ of Corti, the sensory organ of hearing located in the cochlea.

Function[edit | edit source]

The primary function of the cochlear nerve is to transmit auditory information from the inner ear to the brain. This is achieved through the conversion of mechanical sound vibrations into electrical signals by the hair cells in the organ of Corti. These signals are then transmitted via the cochlear nerve to the auditory cortex of the brain, where they are interpreted as sound.

Clinical significance[edit | edit source]

Damage to the cochlear nerve can result in sensorineural hearing loss, a type of hearing loss where the root cause lies in the vestibulocochlear nerve, the inner ear, or central processing centers of the brain.

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]



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