Abstract
The embryology of the cochlear nerve is not a well-studied topic. The development of the cochlear nerve starts as early as the 4th week of gestation when the neuroblasts delaminate from the otocyst and migrate towards the developing hindbrain. Around the 9th week of gestation, the mesenchyme from the otocyst forms cartilaginous matrix around the otocyst forming the protective otic capsule and around the migrated neuroblast cells forming the bony internal auditory canal (IAC). Between the 9th and the 22nd week of gestation as the synaptogenesis between the ganglion cell bodies and the outer hair cells, number of axons reaching its peak number and adult level. The myelination of the nerve bundles also happens during this time. Radiological identification of the cochlear nerve (CN) is essential in congenitally deaf subjects when it comes to cochlear implant (CI) treatment. Magnetic resonance image (MRI) is the gold standard in the visualization of soft tissues including nerves.
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Dr. Una Doyle from MED-EL is acknowledged for language editing assistance and Mrs. Sea (Varachaya) Erhard, M.Sc. from MED-EL is acknowledged for 3D segmented image assistance.
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Dhanasingh, A. (2022). The Embryology of the Cochlear Nerve and Its Radiological Relevance. In: Li, Y. (eds) Cochlear Implantation for Cochlear Nerve Deficiency. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-5892-2_1
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