Final answer:
The cells involved in transporting auditory information to the brain are hair cells, which communicate with bipolar neurons forming the auditory nerve. These neurons send signals through the vestibulocochlear nerve to the primary auditory cortex for sound perception and localization.
Step-by-step explanation:
The cells to which auditory receptors communicate are part of a complex system critical for hearing, known as the auditory system. Sound waves initiate fluid waves within the cochlea, causing the basilar membrane to flex and bend the stereocilia of the hair cells. This movement triggers action potentials in the inner hair cells, which are primarily responsible for conveying auditory information. Each of these hair cells synapses with about 10 or so afferent neurons. In contrast, the outer hair cells enhance the precision of this process. They connect with only about 10 percent of the afferent neurons, but each of these neurons innervates numerous hair cells.
The axons of these bipolar neurons form the auditory nerve, which is part of the vestibulocochlear nerve (eighth cranial nerve). This nerve conveys sensory auditory information through the cochlear nuclei of the superior medulla, traverses the pons and midbrain, and eventually arrives at the primary auditory cortex in the temporal lobe. The process involves the integration of information from both ears in the brain stem, allowing for the perception of sound location based on the comparison of auditory stimuli. Within the central nervous system, there is higher processing which modulates the auditory signals, sometimes referred to as 'sharpening,' enhancing certain aspects of hearing.