The auditory nerve serves as the pathway that transmits neural impulses from the enlarged hair cells directly to the brain.

Auditory Nerve (Vestibulocochlear Nerve)

Cranial Nerve VIII, the vestibulocochlear nerve.

Grinnell College

Auditory signals 

Breedlove, S. & Watson, N. (2017). Behavioral neuroscience, eighth edition. Oxford University Press.

Behavioral Neuroscience 8th Edition

Nerves making up the auditory system

The auditory pathway in the human brain represents the sequence of structures and processes that transmit auditory information. It begins with the mechanical activation of hair cells, which generates neural impulses. These impulses travel along the auditory nerve to the brain. The auditory information is then shuttled sequentially to the inferior colliculus, the medial geniculate nucleus of the thalamus, and finally to the auditory cortex in the temporal lobe for higher-level processing.

Auditory Pathways in the human brain

People can discriminate changes in frequency between two tones by about 2 Hz for sounds up to 2000 Hz. Pitch relies on the subjective expereince of sound, which means frequency of sound is not the only determinant of pitch. There are two complementary ways that pitch information is encoded.

Encoding pitch information

Auditory signals are able to integrate information from both ears in order to identify the sourse of a sound. This helps with allerting danger, potential mates, or other situational information that is necessary for survival and normal activities throughout the day. Humans have an accuracy of about 1 degree horizontally around their head, and may animals demonstrate even higher accuracy. There are two types of binaural (two-ear)cues that help with localization on the horizontal plane; intensity and latency.

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