The ear
Overview of the ear
The ear is the sensory organ that allows
hearing and maintains equilibrium.
Hearing is the perception of sound energy
through the brain
With exception of the auricle(pinna) the
structures that form the ear are enclosed
within the petrous portion of temporal
bone.
Anatomy and physiology of the ear
Parts of the ear
The ear consists of three areas:
The outer ear
The middle ear
The inner ear
The inner ear contains the receptors for
the senses of hearing and equilibrium
Supplied with 8th cranial( vestibulocochlear
nerve) which is stimulated by vibrations
caused by sound waves.
The outer ear
Consists of the auricle (or pinna) and the ear
canal (external acoustic meatus).
The auricle is made of cartilage covered with
skin.
The ear canal is a slightly S shaped tube of
about 2.5cm long extending from the auricle
to the tympanic membrane(ear drum).
Cont’d
The canal is lined with skin that contains
ceruminous glands.
Cerumen, or earwax, is the secretion that
keeps the eardrum pliable and, because it is
sticky, traps dust.
This portion of the ear is very vital for hearing
as it directs the sound waves into the auditory
canal and middle ear.
Middle ear
The middle ear is an air-filled cavity in the
temporal bone.
Separated from the external ear by the
tympanic membrane
The eardrum (or tympanic membrane) is
stretched across the end of the ear canal and
vibrates when sound waves strike it.
Cont’d
These vibrations are transmitted to the three
auditory bones (ossicle)—the malleus
(hammer), incus (anvil), and stapes (stirrup).
The stapes then transmits vibrations to the
fluid-filled inner ear at the oval window.
The eustachian tube (or auditory tube)
extends from the middle ear to the
nasopharynx
Middle ear cont’d
Itpermits air to enter or leave the middle ear
cavity.
The air pressure in the middle ear must be
the same as the external atmospheric
pressure for the eardrum to vibrate properly.
Swallowing or yawning opens the eustachian
tubes and permits equalization of these
pressures.
The inner ear
The inner ear or labyrinth contains organs
of hearing and balance
It is described in two parts;
Bony labyrinth
Membranous labyrinth
These hold endolymph fluid and consist of
the vestibule, the cochlea (containing the
organ of Corti), and the semicircular
canals.
Parts of the bony labyrinth
The vestibule- expanded part nearest the
middle ear and contains the oval and
round window in its lateral wall
The cochlea-this resembles the snail’s
shell.
It has a broad base where it is continuous with
the vestibule and narrow, and it spirals round
a central bony column.
Cont’d
The semi-circular canals-these are three
tubes arranged so that one is situated in
each of the three planes of space.
They are continuous with the vestibule.
Inner air cont’d
The hollow channels of the inner ear are filled
with liquid, and contain a sensory epithelium
that is studded with hair cells.
The microscopic "hairs" of these cells are
structural protein filaments that project out
into the fluid.
The hair cells are mechanoreceptors that
release a chemical neurotransmitter when
stimulated.
Cont’d
The part of the ear that is dedicated to sensing
balance and position also sends impulses
through the eighth cranial nerve, the VIII th
nerve's Vestibular Portion.
Those impulses are sent to the vestibular
portion of the central nervous system.
Physiology of hearing
Every sound produces sound waves or
vibrations in the air, which travel at about 332
m/s
The auricle, because of its shape,
concentrates the waves and directs them
along the auditory meatus causing the
tympanic membrane to vibrate.
Cont’d
Tympanic membrane vibrations are
transmitted and amplified through the middle
ear by movement of the ossicles
These vibrations move from the malleus to
the incus to the stapes through the oval
window as mechanical energy.
This mechanical energy is then transmitted
through fluid in the cochlea to the round
window
Con’t
The round window opens into the inner ear,
stimulating the air in cells in the organ of corti
Mechanical energy is subsequently
converted into electrical energy (an impulse).
The electrical energy travels via the
vestibulocochlea nerve to the CNS (auditory
portion of the cerebral cortex in the temporal
lobe) where it is analysed and interpreted in
its form as sound to derive meaning.
Physiology of Balance
This is by the vestibular system
The sensory part provides the brain with
information about motion, head position and
spatial orientation
The motor part functions to keep our balance,
stabilize our head and body during mvt and
maintain posture
Cont’d
Components of the vestibular system are
found in the inner ear in the system of
compartments called the vestibular labyrinth
This contains 3 tubes which are semicircular
canals continuous with the cochlear.
Each of these canals can detect head
movements like nodding up/down, shaking
side to side, or tilting left or right
Cont’d
Each of these canals are filled with a fluid
called endolymph
When the head is rotated, it causes the mvt
of endolymph through the canal
corresponding to the plane of the mvt
Mvt of endolymph stimulates the small hairs
(stereocilia) leading to the release of
neurotransmitters
Cont’d
The resultant nerve impulses are transmitted
by the vestibular nerve which joins the
cochlear nerve to form the vestibulocochlear
nerve
The vestibular branch passes this information
to the cerebellum
The end
any questions?
