Final answer:
The cochlear nerve is composed of the axons of spiral ganglion neurons, which primarily connect to and transmit signals from the inner hair cells of the cochlea to the brain.
Step-by-step explanation:
The cochlear nerve is formed by the axons of spiral ganglion neurons, which are connected to the inner hair cells of the cochlea. These inner hair cells are the primary auditory receptors that transduce sound vibrations into neural signals. The sensory neurons of the spiral ganglia, situated within the cochlear region of the inner ear, carry auditory information that they receive from the inner hair cells. This information then travels through the vestibulocochlear nerve to the brainstem, and ultimately to the auditory cortex for processing. The outer hair cells, although important for the fine-tuning of sound waves, connect to only a minority of afferent neurons and are not the primary source of axons for the cochlear nerve.