EAR

O
•1. Outer Ear:
–Pinna (auricle):
directs sound
waves into the
auditory canal

– Auditory Canal: conducts sound to the eardrum

– Tympanic membrane (Eardrum): thin membrane
that vibrates in response to sound, and transfers
sound energy to bones of the middle ear
• 2. Middle Ear: three tiny bones “amplify sound” and
transfer sound energy to the inner ear

 Malleus
 Incus
 Stapes
– Ossicles are smallest
bones in the body
– Act as a lever system
– Footplate of stapes
enters oval window of
the cochlea
• 3. Inner Ear: where sound energy is transduced
– Cochlea: snail shaped fluid-filled structure
– Oval window: thin membrane, transfers vibrations from
stapes to fluid of cochlea
– Basilar membrane: runs the length of the cochlea
– Organ of Corti: rests on basilar membrane, contains
“receptor” cells
– Round window: absorbs energy and equalizes pressure in
the cochlea
 Cochlea
At the end of the cochlea, the helicotrema
joins the scala vestibuli and the scala
tympani.
Cochlea - Snail-shaped organ with a series of fluid-
filled tunnels;
converts mechanical energy into electrical energy
 Cochlea
The scala vestibuli is separated from the scala media
by vestibular membrane.
The scala media is in turn separated from the scala
tympani by the basilar membrane.
 Cochlea
 Fluids in the cochlea: perilymph-fills the
scala vestibuli and scala tympani.
 Endolymph fills the scala media.
 Cochlea
At the end of the cochlea, the helicotrema
joins the scala vestibuli and the scala
tympani.
Hair Cell in the Organ of Corti

When the basilar

membrane moves,
a shearing action
between the
tectorial
membrane and
the organ of Corti
causes hair cells to
bend
There are little mechanical gates on each
hair cell that open when they are bent.

K+ comes into the hair cell and

depolarizes the hair cell.
The concentration of K+ in the endolymph
is very high so when it comes into the hair
the +(positive) ions come to the cell
causing a depolarization.
 Pathway Transmitting Sound Wave from
External Environment to Inner Ear
Air Conduction
Sound wave Sound wave

Auditory Canal Auditory Canal

Air in tympanic cavity

Tympanic membrane

Bone Conduction
Ossicular chain Round window
Sound wave

Oval window Inner ear Vibration of skull

 Summary: How Sound
Travels Through The Ear...
Acoustic energy, in the form of sound waves, is
channeled into the ear canal by the pinna.
Sound waves strike the tympanic membrane, causing it to
vibrate like a drum, and changing it into mechanical energy.
The malleus, which is attached to the tympanic membrane,
starts the ossicles into motion.
The middle ear components mechanically amplify sound.
The stapes moves in and out of the oval window of the
cochlea creating a fluid motion.
Summary: How Sound Travels
Through The Ear...

The fluid movement within the cochlea causes

membranes in the Organ of Corti to shear
against the hair cells.
This creates an electrical signal which is sent via
the Auditory Nerve to the brain, where sound is
interpreted!