Ear anatomy and physiology

Auditory System - Sense of Hearing

BYRON ALFONSO PÉREZ-GUTIÉRREZ

Virtual Reality Center

Universidad Militar Nueva Granada
byron.perez@unimilitar.edu.co

September 2019

Byron Alfonso Pérez-Gutiérrez Auditory System - Sense of Hearing

 Ear anatomy and physiology

Outline I

1 Ear anatomy and physiology

Outer ear
Middle ear
Inner ear

Byron Alfonso Pérez-Gutiérrez Auditory System - Sense of Hearing

 Outer ear
Ear anatomy and physiology Middle ear
Inner ear

Hearing is the specific sensory process by which the multicellular

living being receives and analyzes the sound, which can be defined
as the sinusoidal waves produced by the vibrations of the bodies.
Hearing allows the reception of the sounds of the environment,
gives rise to communication between animals and contributes to the
survival of the individual.

Byron Alfonso Pérez-Gutiérrez Auditory System - Sense of Hearing

 Outer ear
Ear anatomy and physiology Middle ear
Inner ear

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary:

Hearing (noun)
1 the process, function, or power of perceiving sound;
specifically: the special sense by which noises and tones are
received as stimuli

Ear (noun)
1 The characteristic vertebrate organ of hearing and equilibrium
consisting in the typical mammal of a sound-collecting outer
ear separated by the tympanic membrane from a
sound-transmitting middle ear that in turn is separated from a
sensory inner ear by membranous fenestrae.
2 any of various organs (as of a fish) capable of detecting
vibratory motion

Byron Alfonso Pérez-Gutiérrez Auditory System - Sense of Hearing

 Outer ear
Ear anatomy and physiology Middle ear
Inner ear

Sound
Is a mechanical radiant energy transmitted by longitudinal pressure
waves in a material medium (as air) and is the objective cause of
hearing.
Sound is defined by its frequency (severe or acute) and by its
intensity (weak or strong).

Byron Alfonso Pérez-Gutiérrez Auditory System - Sense of Hearing

 Outer ear
Ear anatomy and physiology Middle ear
Inner ear

Head bones

Byron Alfonso Pérez-Gutiérrez Auditory System - Sense of Hearing

 Outer ear
Ear anatomy and physiology Middle ear
Inner ear

Ear anatomy

Byron Alfonso Pérez-Gutiérrez Auditory System - Sense of Hearing

 Outer ear
Ear anatomy and physiology Middle ear
Inner ear

Outer ear - Auricula (pinna)

Is the visible part of the ear that

resides outside of the head. It is a
structure composed of
ovoid-shaped lamellar cartilage,
located in front of the mastoid
process and immediately behind
the temporomandibular joint. It
consists of two large structures,
the Shell and the External
Auditory Meatus in its
cartilaginous portion and the
external auditory meatus.

Byron Alfonso Pérez-Gutiérrez Auditory System - Sense of Hearing

 Outer ear
Ear anatomy and physiology Middle ear
Inner ear

External Auditory Meatus

The ear canal (external acoustic meatus, external auditory meatus,
EAM) is a tube running from the outer ear to the middle ear (ear
drum).

Byron Alfonso Pérez-Gutiérrez Auditory System - Sense of Hearing

 Outer ear
Ear anatomy and physiology Middle ear
Inner ear

Middle ear
Pneumatized cavity inside the temporal bone, responsible for the
transmission of sound through the tympanic membrane (eardrum)
and the ossicular chain.

Byron Alfonso Pérez-Gutiérrez Auditory System - Sense of Hearing

 Outer ear
Ear anatomy and physiology Middle ear
Inner ear

Eardrum - tympanic membrane

A membrane forming part of the organ of hearing, which vibrates in

response to sound waves.

Byron Alfonso Pérez-Gutiérrez Auditory System - Sense of Hearing

 Outer ear
Ear anatomy and physiology Middle ear
Inner ear

Ossicles

Conformed by 3 ossicles (Malleus, Incus and Stapes), is responsible

for transmitting to the liquid medium of the labyrinth the vibrations
of sound waves captured by the tympanic membrane.

Byron Alfonso Pérez-Gutiérrez Auditory System - Sense of Hearing

 Outer ear
Ear anatomy and physiology Middle ear
Inner ear

Inner ear

Organ of hearing and

balance. It is constituted
by a membranous structure
that contains membranous
and fluid bags (perilymph
and endolymph) that is
covered by a bony
structure.

Byron Alfonso Pérez-Gutiérrez Auditory System - Sense of Hearing

 Outer ear
Ear anatomy and physiology Middle ear
Inner ear

Cochlea

It is a spiral-shaped cavity
in the bony labyrinth, in
humans making 2.5 turns
around its axis, the
modiolus.

Byron Alfonso Pérez-Gutiérrez Auditory System - Sense of Hearing

 Outer ear
Ear anatomy and physiology Middle ear
Inner ear

Cochlea

Byron Alfonso Pérez-Gutiérrez Auditory System - Sense of Hearing

 Outer ear
Ear anatomy and physiology Middle ear
Inner ear

Organ of Corti

Forms a ribbon of sensory

epithelium which runs
lengthwise down the
cochlea’s entire scala
media. Its hair cells
transform the fluid waves
into nerve signals. The
journey of countless nerves
begins with this first step;
from here, further
processing leads to a
panoply of auditory
reactions and sensations.

Byron Alfonso Pérez-Gutiérrez Auditory System - Sense of Hearing

 Outer ear
Ear anatomy and physiology Middle ear
Inner ear

Organ of Corti

Byron Alfonso Pérez-Gutiérrez Auditory System - Sense of Hearing

 Outer ear
Ear anatomy and physiology Middle ear
Inner ear

Hair cells

Hair cells are the sensory

receptors of both the
auditory system and the
vestibular system in the
ear. Through
mechanotransduction, hair
cells detect movement in
their environment within
the organ of Corti.

Byron Alfonso Pérez-Gutiérrez Auditory System - Sense of Hearing

 Outer ear
Ear anatomy and physiology Middle ear
Inner ear

Vestibular system

Is a bilateral structure
located in the inner ear,
and constitutes a bone
labyrinth excavated in the
temporal bone. This
labyrinth is formed by the
semicircular ducts and
provides the leading
contribution to the sense
of balance and spatial
orientation.

Byron Alfonso Pérez-Gutiérrez Auditory System - Sense of Hearing

 Outer ear
Ear anatomy and physiology Middle ear
Inner ear

Semicircular canals

There are three

semicircular canals in the
vestibular apparatus
(anterior, posterior and
lateral) are oriented in the
three directions of space.

Byron Alfonso Pérez-Gutiérrez Auditory System - Sense of Hearing

 Outer ear
Ear anatomy and physiology Middle ear
Inner ear

Semicircular canals

They are lined with cilia

and filled with a liquid
substance, known as
endolymph. Every time the
head moves, the
endolymph moves the cilia.
This works as a type of
motion sensor, as the
movements of the cilia are
communicated to the
brain.

As a result, the brain knows how to keep the body balanced,

regardless of the posture.
Byron Alfonso Pérez-Gutiérrez Auditory System - Sense of Hearing
 Outer ear
Ear anatomy and physiology Middle ear
Inner ear

Questions?

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Byron Alfonso Pérez-Gutiérrez Auditory System - Sense of Hearing