The eighth cranial nerve (also known as the vestibulocochlear nerve) transmits auditory signals and vestibular signals from the ear to the brain. In some circumstances, this nerve can become episodically irritable. The term “vestibular paroxysmia” refers to a condition in which only the vestibular portion of this nerve is involved. The term “vestibulocochlear paroxysmia” refers to a condition in which both the vestibular and auditory portions of this nerve are involved. One would think that there should also be a condition corresponding to a situation in which only the cochlear portion of the nerve is involved (“cochlear paroxysmia”); perhaps, the closest thing to this is a phenomenon called “typewriter tinnitus.”