The Rinne and Weber tests assess which cranial nerve?

The Rinne and Weber tests are used to evaluate hearing and differentiate between conductive and sensorineural hearing loss, primarily assessing the function of the auditory system, which is mediated by the vestibulocochlear nerve. Cranial nerve 8, also known as the vestibulocochlear nerve, is responsible for transmitting sound and equilibrium information from the inner ear to the brain.

In the Rinne test, a tuning fork is placed against the mastoid bone (bone conduction) and then near the ear (air conduction) to compare the two types of conduction. The Weber test involves placing a tuning fork at the center of the forehead to determine how sound lateralizes between the ears. Abnormal results in these tests can indicate issues related to the function of cranial nerve 8, such as hearing impairments caused by damage or other conditions affecting the auditory pathways.

The other cranial nerves listed do not play a primary role in hearing sensation or auditory processing, making cranial nerve 8 the correct choice for the functions assessed by these tests.