vestibulocochlear nerve

n the eighth cranial nerve (VIII), responsible for carrying sensory impulses from the inner ear to the brain. It has two branches, the vestibular nerve and the cochlear nerve. The cochlear nerve carries impulses from the spiral COCHLEA and is therefore the nerve of hearing, while the vestibular nerve serves equilibrium, carrying impulses from the semicircular canals, utricle, and saccule.