The vestibulocochlear nerve is the eighth cranial nerve and consists of the vestibular nerve and the cochlear nerve.
Nuclei
The fibers of the vestibulocochlear nerve terminate in nuclei and are relayed from there:
Superior, medial, and inferior vestibular nuclei – to the vestibular organ
Lateral vestibular nuclei: receive most of the fiber components from the Purkinje cells of the cerebellum.
Anterior and posterior cochlear nuclei: to the auditory system
Imaging
The course of the vestibulocochlear nerve can, for example, be optimally visualized on a CISS sequence in MRI imaging.
Figure
Clinical relevance
A neurovascular conflict involving the vestibulocochlear nerve can lead to vestibular paroxysmia.