Which symptom may be associated with a tumor of the eighth cranial nerve?

Which symptom may be associated with a tumor of the eighth cranial nerve?

• A. Dizziness
• B. Inability to Close the Eyes
• C. Loss of Smell
• D. Inability to Taste Sour Things

Answer: (A)

The eighth cranial nerve carries both hearing and balance information from the inner ear. A tumor arising from this nerve, such as a vestibular schwannoma, often disrupts the vestibular (balance) component, leading to dizziness or vertigo and imbalance, sometimes with concurrent hearing loss or tinnitus. The other options point to different nerves: inability to close the eyes reflects facial nerve problems, loss of smell involves the olfactory nerve, and trouble tasting sour relates to taste pathways (facial or glossopharyngeal nerves), not the eighth. Thus dizziness is the symptom most characteristic of an eighth-nerve tumor.

The eighth cranial nerve carries both hearing and balance information from the inner ear. A tumor arising from this nerve, such as a vestibular schwannoma, often disrupts the vestibular (balance) component, leading to dizziness or vertigo and imbalance, sometimes with concurrent hearing loss or tinnitus. The other options point to different nerves: inability to close the eyes reflects facial nerve problems, loss of smell involves the olfactory nerve, and trouble tasting sour relates to taste pathways (facial or glossopharyngeal nerves), not the eighth. Thus dizziness is the symptom most characteristic of an eighth-nerve tumor.