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    Human EAR

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    ak
    The human ear consists of three main parts - the outer, middle, and inner ear. The outer ear collects sound waves and transmits them through the eardrum to the middle ear, where three small bones amplify the vibrations and pass them to the inner ear. The inner ear contains the cochlea for hearing and balance organs like the semicircular canals and vestibule. Sound waves are converted to electrical signals in the cochlea and sent to the brain for interpretation. The balance organs detect head position and movements to maintain equilibrium.

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    Human EAR

    Uploaded by

    ak
    31 views6 pages
    The human ear consists of three main parts - the outer, middle, and inner ear. The outer ear collects sound waves and transmits them through the eardrum to the middle ear, where three small bones amplify the vibrations and pass them to the inner ear. The inner ear contains the cochlea for hearing and balance organs like the semicircular canals and vestibule. Sound waves are converted to electrical signals in the cochlea and sent to the brain for interpretation. The balance organs detect head position and movements to maintain equilibrium.

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    The human ear consists of three main parts - the outer, middle, and inner ear. The outer ear collects sound waves and transmits them through the eardrum to the middle ear, where three small bones amplify the vibrations and pass them to the inner ear. The inner ear contains the cochlea for hearing and balance organs like the semicircular canals and vestibule. Sound waves are converted to electrical signals in the cochlea and sent to the brain for interpretation. The balance organs detect head position and movements to maintain equilibrium.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    31 views6 pages

    Human EAR

    Uploaded by

    ak
    The human ear consists of three main parts - the outer, middle, and inner ear. The outer ear collects sound waves and transmits them through the eardrum to the middle ear, where three small bones amplify the vibrations and pass them to the inner ear. The inner ear contains the cochlea for hearing and balance organs like the semicircular canals and vestibule. Sound waves are converted to electrical signals in the cochlea and sent to the brain for interpretation. The balance organs detect head position and movements to maintain equilibrium.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 6

    HUMAN EAR

    INTRODUCTION
    The ear is the organ of hearing and, in mammals, balance. In mammals, the
    ear is usually described as having three parts—the outer ear, the middle
    ear and the inner ear. The ear is a sensitive organ of the human body. It is
    mainly concerned with detecting, transmitting and transducing sound.
    Maintaining a sense of balance is another important function performed by
    the human ear.

    STRUCTURE
    The human ear consists of three parts—the outer ear, middle ear and inner
    ear.
    OUTER EAR
    The external ear is further divided into the following parts:

    Auricle (Pinna)
    The auricle comprises a thin plate of elastic cartilage covered by a layer of
    skin. It consists of funnel- like curves that collect sound waves and transmits
    them to the middle ear.

    Tympanic Membrane Or Ear drum


    Tympanic membrane, also called eardrum, thin layer of tissue in the human
    ear that receives sound vibrations from the outer air and transmits them to
    the auditory ossicles.

    Middle Ear

    The middle ear comprises the following parts:


    Tympanic Cavity The
    tympanic cavity is a small cavity surrounding the bones of the
    middle ear. Within it sit the ossicles, three small bones that
    transmit vibrations used in the detection of sound.
    It is separated from the external ear by tympanic membrane and from inner
    ear by the bony wall.

    Ear Ossicles
    These are the bones that are present in middle ear. The are responsible for
    transmitting sound waves from the eardrum to the middle ear. There are
    three ear ossicles in the human ear:
    • Malleus: A hammer-shaped part that is attached to the tympanic
    membrane through the handle and incus through the head. It is the
    largest ear ossicle.
    • Incus: An anvil-shaped ear ossicle connected with the stapes.
    • Stapes: It is the smallest ossicle and also the smallest bone in the
    human body.

    INNER EAR The


    Inner ear consists of the following parts:
    Bony Labyrinth
    The bony labyrinth, or osseous labyrinth, is the network of passages with
    bony walls lined with periosteum. The three major parts of the bony
    labyrinth are the vestibule of the ear, the semicircular canals, and the
    cochlea.

    Vestibule
    The vestibule is the central part of the bony labyrinth. It is separated from
    the middle ear by the oval window, and communicates anteriorly with the
    cochlea and posterioly with the semi-circular canals. Two parts of the
    membranous labyrinth; the saccule and utricle, are located within the
    vestibule.

    Cochlea
    The cochlea is the part of the inner ear involved in hearing. It is a spiral-
    shaped cavity in the bony labyrinth.

    Semi-circular Canals
    There are three semi-circular canals; anterior, lateral and posterior. They
    contain the semi-circular ducts, which are responsible for balance (along
    with the utricle and saccule).
    The canals are situated super posterior to the vestibule, at right angles to
    each other. They have a swelling at one end, known as the ampulla.

    Membranous Labyrinth
    The membranous labyrinth is a continuous system of ducts filled with
    endolymph. It lies within the bony labyrinth, surrounded by perilymph. It is
    composed of the cochlear duct, three semi-circular ducts, saccule and the
    utricle.
    The cochlear duct is situated within the cochlea and is the organ of hearing.
    The semi-circular ducts, saccule and utricle are the organs of balance.

    Cochlear Duct
    The cochlear duct is located within the bony scaffolding of the cochlea. It is
    held in place by the spiral lamina.
    Semi-circular Ducts

    The semi-circular ducts are located within the semi-circular canals, and
    share their orientation. Upon movement of the head, the flow of
    endolymph within the ducts changes speed and/or direction. Sensory
    receptors in the ampulla of the semi-circular canals detect this change, and
    send signals to the brain, allowing for the processing of balance.

    Saccule and Utricle


    The saccule and utricle are two membranous sacs located in the
    vestibule. They are organs of balance which detect movement or
    acceleration of the head in the vertical and horizontal planes,
    respectively.
    The utricle is the larger of the two. The word utricle comes from
    Latin uter, meaning ‘leather bag’. The utricle detects linear
    accelerations and head-tilts in the horizontal plane. The saccule is
    globular in shape. The saccule detects linear accelerations and head
    tilts in the vertical plane.
    Function Of Ear

    Hearing
    The outer ear is called ‘pinna’. It collects the sound from the surroundings.
    The collected sound passes through the auditory canal. At the end of the
    auditory canal there is a thin membrane called the ear drum or tympanic
    membrane. When a compression of the medium reaches the eardrum the
    pressure on the outside of the membrane increases and forces the eardrum
    inward. Similarly, the eardrum moves outward when a rarefaction reaches
    it. In this way the eardrum vibrates. The vibrations are amplified several
    times by three bones (the hammer, anvil and stirrup) in the middle ear.
    The middle ear transmits the amplified pressure variations received from
    the sound wave to the inner ear. In the inner ear, the pressure variations are
    turned into electrical signals by the cochlea. These electrical signals
    are sent to the brain via the auditory nerve, and the brain interprets them as
    sound.

    Balance
    Providing balance, when moving or stationary, is also a central function of
    the ear. The ear facilitates two types of balance: static balance, which allows
    a person to feel the effects of gravity, and dynamic balance, which allows a
    person to sense acceleration. Static balance is provided by two ventricles,
    the utricle and the saccule and Dynamic balance is provided through the
    three semicircular canals.

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