Cochlear nerve topography and fiber spectrum in the pigmented mouse.

The topographical and cytological features of the pigmented mouse (CBA/CBA) cochlear nerve were analyzed. The cochlear nerve is very short and is approximately 0.2-0.3 mm in its length. The entire cochlear nerve and a portion of the ventral cochlear nucleus are located within the internal acoustic meatus, and are closely surrounded by bone. Approximately 10,000 nerve fibers are present, of which only about 3% are unmyelinated. The distribution of the axon diameters in the myelinated nerves is close to unimodal.