human ear

Table of Contents

Introduction
Anatomy of the human ear
- Outer ear
- Tympanic membrane and middle ear
  - Tympanic membrane
  - Middle-ear cavity
    - Auditory ossicles
    - Muscles
    - Nerves
  - Eustachian tube
- Inner ear
  - Vestibular system
    - Vestibule
    - Semicircular canals
  - Cochlea
    - Structure of the cochlea
    - Organ of Corti
  - Endolymph and perilymph
The physiology of hearing
- Transmission of sound waves through the outer and middle ear
  - Transmission of sound by air conduction
    - Function of the ossicular chain
    - Function of the muscles of the middle ear
  - Transmission of sound by bone conduction
- Transmission of sound within the inner ear
  - Transmission of sound waves in the cochlea
  - Transduction of mechanical vibrations
- Cochlear nerve and central auditory pathways
  - Auditory nerve fibres
  - Auditory pathways
    - Ascending pathways
    - Descending pathways
  - Analysis of sound by the auditory nervous system
- Hearing tests
  - Tuning-fork tests
  - Audiometry
The physiology of balance: vestibular function
- Detection of angular acceleration: dynamic equilibrium
- Detection of linear acceleration: static equilibrium
- Disturbances of the vestibular system

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healthy organ of Corti from a guinea pig

damaged organ of Corti from a guinea pig

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human ear

anatomy

Written by Joseph E. Hawkins

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Mar 26, 2024 • Article History

human ear

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Category: Science & Tech

Key People:: Gabriel Fallopius; Magnus Gustaf Retzius

Related Topics:: inner ear; hearing; otic capsule; middle ear; external ear

On the Web:: WI Technical Colleges Open Press - Nursing Skills – 2e - Eye and Ear Basic Concepts (Mar. 26, 2024)

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human ear, organ of hearing and equilibrium that detects and analyzes sound by transduction (or the conversion of sound waves into electrochemical impulses) and maintains the sense of balance (equilibrium). The human ear, like that of other mammals, contains sense organs that serve two quite different functions: that of hearing and that of postural equilibrium and coordination of head and eye movements. Anatomically, the ear has three distinguishable parts: the outer, middle, and inner ear. The outer ear consists of the visible portion called the auricle, or pinna, which projects from the side of the head, and the short external ...(100 of 15432 words)

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