Vestibulocochlear cranial nerve

From DictionGloss

The vestibulocochlear cranial nerve is one of the 12 pairs of nerves that arise directly from the brain and leave the skull through separate apertures. Also called the eighth cranial nerve, the vestibulocochlear cranial nerve is responsible for carrying sensory impulses from the inner ear to the brain. It thus has two branches, the vestibular nerve and the cochlear nerve. The cochlear nerve carries impulses from the ear and is therefore the nerve of hearing, while the vestibular nerve serves equilibrium, carrying impulses from the semicircular canals, utricles, and saccules with information about posture, movement and balance.