EXTERNAL EAR

MIDDLE EAR
INNER EAR

AUDITORY STRUCTURES AND THEIR FUNCTIONS

EXTERNAL EAR
Auricle

External Acustic Meatus

Ceruminous Hairs

Glands (CERUMEN)

Tympanic Membrane

AUDITORY STRUCTURES AND THEIR FUNCTIONS

MIDDLE EAR

OPENINGS (ROUND AND OVAL WINDOW) AUDITORY OSSICLES MALLEUS Hammer INCUS Anvil STAPES Stirrup Tensor Tympani Stapedius Small muscles in the middle ear help dampen vibrations of the auditory ossicles caused by load noise.

AUDITORY STRUCTURES AND THEIR FUNCTIONS

The two openings provide air passages from the middle ear.
One passage opens into the mastoid air cells in the mastoid

process of the temporal bone. The other passageway is the auditory tube, also called pharyngo tympanic tube or the Eustachian tube. The auditory tube opens into the pharynx and enables air pressure to be equalized between the outside air and middle ear cavity. When a person changes in altitude, air pressure outside the tympanic membrane changes relative to the air pressure in the middle ear. With an increase in altitude, the pressure outside the tympanic membrane becomes less than the air the pressure inside the middle ear and the tympanic membrane is pushed outward.

AUDITORY STRUCTURES AND THEIR FUNCTIONS

INNER EAR
The inner ear contains the sensory organs for hearing and balance.

BONY LABYRINTH maze lined with endosteum VESTIBULE SEMICIRCULAR CANALS COCHLEA snail shell
MEMBRANOUS LABYRINTH Is filled with a clear fluid called endolymph Lymph clear spring water

AUDITORY STRUCTURES AND THEIR FUNCTIONS

Perilymph And the space between the membranous and bony labyrinths filled with fluid. Very similar to cerebrospinal fluid, Endolymph contains high concentration of potassium and and a low concentration of sodium, which is opposite from perilymph and cerebrospinal fluid.

AUDITORY STRUCTURES AND THEIR FUNCTIONS

COCHLEA the base of the cochlea connects to the vestibule and the apex of the cochlea is the end of coiled tube. SPIRAL LAMINA the bony core of the cochlea, around which the tube coils is shape like a screw. Y SHAPED MEMBRANOUS COMPLEX DIVIDES THE BASE - is the spiral lamina ONE BRANCH -vestibular membrane OTHER BRANCH -basilar membrane
COCHLEAR DUCT the space between the membrane

AUDITORY STRUCTURES AND THEIR FUNCTIONS

SPIRAL ORGAN (ORGAN OF CORTI) which rests on the basilar membrane contains supporting epithelial cells and specialized sensory cells called Hair Cells.
which have hairlike projections at their apical ends the projections are very long microvilli called stereocilia. hair cells have no axons, but the basilia regions of each hair cell are covered by synaptic terminals of sensory neurons. stimulation of these neurons by the hair cells results in the production of action potentials, which are transmitted to the brain.

AUDITORY STRUCTURES AND THEIR FUNCTIONS

EXTERNAL EAR
The auricle collects sound waves and directs them into the external acoustic meatus and strike the tympanic membrane, causing it to vibrate.

MIDDLE EAR
Vibration of the tympanic membrane causes vibration of the three auditory ossicles of the middle ear, and by this mechanical linkage vibration is transferred to the oval window. The oval window is approximately 20 times smaller than the tympanic membrane. The mechanical force of vibration is amplified about 20 fold as it passes from the tympanic membrane through the auditory ossicles to the oval window because of this size difference.

AUDITORY STRUCTURES AND THEIR FUNCTIONS

INNER EAR
As the stapes vibrates, it produces sound waves in the perilymph of the scala vestibuli. Vibrations of the perilymph are transmitted through the vestibular membrane and cause simultaneous vibrations of the endolymph.