Final answer:
The auditory nerve is part of the eighth cranial nerve, known as the vestibulocochlear nerve, which carries sound information to the brain and is crucial for interpreting auditory stimuli.
Step-by-step explanation:
The auditory nerve is part of the eighth cranial nerve, also known as the vestibulocochlear nerve.
Explanation: The vestibulocochlear nerve is responsible for carrying auditory information from the inner ear to the brain. The spiral ganglion, which contains neuronal cell bodies, is a key location where auditory signals are transmitted along this nerve before synapsing with neurons in the cochlear nuclei of the superior medulla in the brain stem. Here, the sensory pathway for audition allows the brain to analyze auditory stimuli, including the frequency, or pitch, and the location of sounds by comparing the information received from both ears. This process is crucial for interpreting sounds and is affected in conditions such as sensorineural hearing loss, which involves damage to the neural pathways between the ear and the brain.