Vestibulocochlear Nerves (VIII)

The "vestibulocochlear nerves" are the eighth pair of cranial nerves and are numbered with the Roman numeral VIII. They are sensory nerves that, besides being difficult to pronounce, run from the brain stem between the base of the brain (pons) and the spinal cord in an area known as the "medulla oblongata." Each of these nerves has two parts: (1) the "vestibular branch", which is located in ganglia near the vestibule and semicircular canals of the inner ear. The nerves in this region are sensitive to changes in the position of the head and the impulses they initiate are passed into the brain as reflexes to assist in maintaining balance, and (2) "cochlear branch" fibers which are located in the gangalion of the cochlea, the part of the inner ear that houses the hearing receptors. Nerve impulses from this region pass through the pons into the temporal lobe of the brain for interpretation.