How does ear convert sound waves into neural impulses, which are sensed and processed by the brain enabling us to recognise a sound ?
Ear is the organ of hearing and balance. In mammals, it has three parts; outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear. The outer earn includes pinna and the ear canal and it is the only visible part of the ear in most of the animals. The middle ear consists of the tympanic cavity and three ossicles. The inner ear contains structures that are key to the several senses; semicircular canals that enable the balance and eye tracking during movement, the cochlea that enables the hearing, and the utricle and saccule that enable the balance when stationary.
When the sound waves enter the outer ear, they move through the ear canal (a narrow passageway), which leads to the eardrum. The eardrum starts to vibrate from incoming sound waves and send the vibrations to the 3 tiny bones of the middle ear. These 3 tiny bones are malleus, incus, and stapes. As the malleus bone vibrates, it transmits the vibrations to incus and stapes. These bones amplify the vibrations and send the sound vibrations to the cochlea. The cochlea contains the receptor organ for the hearing, which is known as the spiral organ of Corti. Cochlea contains fluid inside it, which is ripple by the vibration. The hair cells present in the spiral organ of Corti, translate the fluid vibration of the sounds from its surrounding ducts into the electrical impulses. These electrical impulses are carried by the sensory auditory nerves to the brain. The brain converts it into a sound that we recognize and understand.
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