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The cochlea is a portion of the inner ear that looks like a snail shell (cochlea is Greek for snail). [5] The cochlea receives sound in the form of vibrations, which cause the stereocilia to move. The stereocilia then convert these vibrations into nerve impulses which are taken up to the brain to be interpreted.
Sound above a certain decibel level can cause permanent damage to inner ear stereocilia. New research has shown that the damage can possibly be reversed if we can repair or recreate some of the proteins in the stereocilia. In this study, scientists used zebrafish to examine the motion of proteins within live ear cells using a confocal ...
The plan view of the human cochlea (typical of all mammalian and most vertebrates) shows where specific frequencies occur along its length. The frequency is an approximately exponential function of the length of the cochlea within the Organ of Corti. In some species, such as bats and dolphins, the relationship is expanded in specific areas to ...
The cochlea propagates these mechanical signals as waves in the fluid and membranes and then converts them to nerve impulses which are transmitted to the brain. [4] The vestibular system is the region of the inner ear where the semicircular canals converge, close to the cochlea.
Outer hair cells have stereocilia projecting towards the tectorial membrane, which sits above the organ of Corti. Stereocilia respond to movement of the tectorial membrane when a sound causes vibration through the cochlea. When this occurs, the stereocilia separate and a channel is formed that allows chemical processes to take place.
Together with the cochlea, a part of the auditory system, it constitutes the labyrinth of the inner ear in most mammals. As movements consist of rotations and translations, the vestibular system comprises two components: the semicircular canals, which indicate rotational movements; and the otoliths, which indicate linear accelerations.
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Only in therian mammals (marsupials and placentals) is the cochlea truly coiled 1.5 to 3.5 times. Whereas in monotremes there are many rows of both inner and outer hair cells in the organ of Corti, in therian (marsupial and placental) mammals the number of inner hair-cell rows is one, and there are generally only three rows of outer hair cells.