Auditory Pathways

  1. The vestibulocochlear nerve, the eighth cranial nerve, transmits sound and equilibrium information from the inner ear to the brain.
    Thalamic nuclei: MNG = Midline nuclear group AN = Anterior nuclear group MD = Medial dorsal nucleus VNG = Ventral nuclear group VA = Ventral anterior nucleus VL = Ventral lateral nucleus VPL = Ventral posterolateral nucleus VPM = Ventral posteromedial nucleus LNG = Lateral nuclear group PUL = Pulvinar MTh = Metathalamus LG = Lateral geniculate nucleus MG = Medial geniculate nucleus

    Inferior view of the human brain, with the cranial nerves labelled.


  2. The superior olivary complex is a collection of brainstem nuclei that functions in multiple aspects of hearing and is an important component of the ascending and descending auditory pathways of the auditory system.
    Scheme showing the course of the fibers of the lemniscus; medial lemniscus in blue, lateral in red. (Superior olivary nucleus is labeled at center right.)

  3. The inferior colliculus is the principal midbrain nucleus of the auditory pathway and receives input from several peripheral brainstem nuclei in the auditory pathway, as well as inputs from the auditory cortex.
  4. The medial geniculate nucleus is part of the auditory thalamus and represents the thalamic relay between the inferior colliculus and the auditory cortex.
  5. The primary auditory cortex is the part of the temporal lobe that processes auditory information in humans and other vertebrates.