Final answer:
The cochlear nucleus preserves frequency information from auditory stimuli, with the cochlea separating sound frequencies much like a prism separates light. It encodes frequencies between 20 Hz and 20,000 Hz and allows for sound localization through comparison of signals from both ears.
Step-by-step explanation:
The cochlear nucleus is a key structure in the processing of auditory information, responsible for preserving the frequency information of sound. This is achieved through the structure and function of the cochlea, which encodes auditory stimuli for frequencies ranging from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, known as the audibility range of human hearing. Different regions of the cochlea's basilar membrane are responsive to different sound frequencies, with lower frequencies detected at the apex and higher frequencies at the base. The cochlea separates the components of auditory stimuli by their frequencies, much like a prism would with visible light. Eventually, the auditory signals are processed by various brain stem nuclei, including the cochlear nucleus, which maintains frequency information and contributes to sound localization by comparing inputs from both ears.