Structure and Function of the Mammalian Ear Essay

The hearing tests with the tuning fork demonstrated a form of conductive hearing loss. Conductive hearing loss is seen in people with cerumen impaction, middle ear effusions, cholesteatomas and otoslcerosis. However, inspection of the external ear canal and middle ear revealed cleared tympanic membranes. Upon a further audiometric work, up, a carhart notch was noted which is consistent with otoslcerosis.

interpreted by sound receptors on the skin. This is transmitted to the brain for integration before

The snail like shape of the cochlear effectively boosts the strength of the vibrations caused by sound, especially for low pitches. When sound waves hit the ear drum, tiny bones in the ear transmit the vibrations to the fluid of the cochlea, where they travel along a tube that winds into a spiral. The tube’s properties gradually change along its length, so the waves grow and then die away, much as an ocean wave travelling towards the shore gets taller and narrower before breaking at the beach.

When a person with normal hearing hears the sound travels along the ear then bounces against the ear drum. The eardrum, the bones inside, and the cochlea vibrate and move thousands of tiny hairs inside the ear. When these hairs move an electrical response occurs. This electrical response goes to the hearing nerve and then it is send to the brain.

53.Cochlea: a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear through which sound waves trigger neural impulses.

The middle ear has three ossicles (tiny bones) the hammer, the anvil, and the stirrup that connect the middle ear to the inner ear. When sound enters your middle ear, it causes the ossicles to vibrate. These vibrations then move into the cochlea, which is filled with fluid. When the vibrations move the fluid that is in the cochlea, it stimulates tiny hair cells that respond to different frequencies of sound. After the tiny hair cells are stimulated, they direct the frequencies of sound into the auditory nerve, as nerve impulses. (ASHA 2013)

The physiology of hearing starts with a vibration that occurs in the air which sends an acoustic signal to the ear drum. The signal is transduced into a mechanical signal that transmits through the inner ear and the cochlear nerve. Finally, the signal is

The ear is made up of three parts, the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The ability to hear is dependent on these three parts of the ear working together, and a problem with any part can cause hearing loss (heaing loss education centre, 2012). The inner ear consists of the cochlea, the auditory hearing nerve and the brain. These are the organs of hearing and balance and convert sound waves into nerve signals. These signals are sent to the brain using a nerve called the vestibulocochlear nerve. Nerve deafness occurs if there is damage to the inner ear and although it is possible to regain some hearing through the help of a hearing device, nerve deafness is often permanent. (deaf websites, 2013)

Hearing serves a crucial benefit for understanding the world around us. During the 1940’s, Dr. Ramsdell realized that hearing serves four crucial function; symbolically we are informed or entertained, aesthetically hearing is naturally pleasing, warningly we are alerted or prepared, primitively we are aware of our surroundings [1]. The ear is typically divided into three sections, used to simplify the hearing process. The first section, or the outer ear, is composed of the auricle (skin covered cartilage), the auditory canal, and the tympanic membrane (the outer layer of the eardrum). The middle ear section contains the eardrum, tympanic cavity, and the ossicles. These ossicles are three small bones often referred to as malleus (hammer),

The ear is made up of three parts, the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The outer ear consists of the pinnae. Its function is to focus sound on the tympanic membrane. The middle ear is where the three ossicles are containes, the Malleus, Incus,

The ears are one of the most complex and interesting systems thats human body has and the sounds we hear are actually in many different parts deflected, absorbed, and also filtered by our different body parts. It's then collected by our pinnae (the external part of or ears), whose dimensions further affect the sound on its way into ear. There, vibrations are translated into signals, which are interpreted by your brain. In the 1930s, two scientists at Bell Labs, Harvey Fletcher and Wilden A. Munson researched this process and what they discovered has changed and affected how we as humans understand the hearing process.

The bone-anchored hearing aid, or Baha, made by CochlearTM, is a bone conduction hearing aid. The Baha is usually fitted to those who cannot wear air conduction hearing aids. The Baha is typically fit to individuals with a conductive hearing loss, but can be fit to other hearing losses. Sound vibrations travel through the outer ear to the tympanic membrane, which moves the malleus, incus, and stables, also known as the ossicles. The footplate of the stapes moves against the oval window, which creates a wave in the fluid inside the cochlea. This results in a change in pressure of the basilar membrane, moving the hair cells, which send information through the auditory nerve to the brain. A conductive hearing loss is when sounds are not conducted

The middle ear consists of three bones, the malleus, incus, and stapes. The tensor teympany which is a muscle that attaches to the malleus bone, as well as the stapes which is a muscle which attaches to the stapes bone. These muscles help to keep the bone off of the membrane that they are on to stop damage from loud noise. And lastly there is a Eustachian tube which is the middle ear as well it helps with pressure.

The ear is made up of three areas: the outer, middle, and inner ear. The outer ear is very important for collecting sound waves. It is made up of the pinna and the ear canal. The pinna, the actual physical outward appearance of the ear, receives sound waves and begins to funnel them into the ear canal.

inner portions. The outer ear, or pinna, is the structure that we call the ear.