Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

The Cochlea

The Cochlea

The cochlea is a coiled structure in the inner ear that contains hair cells—the sensory receptors of the auditory system. Sound waves are transmitted to the cochlea by small bones attached to the eardrum called the ossicles, which vibrate the oval window that leads to the inner ear. This causes fluid in the chambers of the cochlea to move, vibrating the basilar membrane.

Hearing

Hearing

When we hear a sound, our nervous system is detecting sound waves—pressure waves of mechanical energy traveling through a medium. The frequency of the wave is perceived as pitch, while the amplitude is perceived as loudness.

Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location

Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location

The human brain perceives pitch through two primary mechanisms reflected in place theory and frequency theory. Each mechanism describes how sound waves are interpreted as specific pitches by the brain, offering insights into the intricate processes of auditory perception.
Place theory, or place coding, suggests that different pitches are heard because various sound waves activate specific locations along the cochlea's basilar membrane. The brain determines the pitch of a sound by identifying...

Auditory Perception

Auditory Perception

The auditory system is essential for sound perception, utilizing various critical structures. When sound waves enter the outer ear, they travel through the ear canal and cause the eardrum to vibrate. These vibrations are then transmitted to the middle ear, where three tiny bones – the malleus, incus, and stapes – amplify the sound. This amplification is crucial, as it ensures that the sound vibrations are strong enough to be conveyed to the inner ear. These vibrations then reach the cochlea, a...

Auditory Pathway

Auditory Pathway

Auditory pathways constitute the complex neural circuits responsible for transmitting and interpreting auditory information from the peripheral auditory system to the brain. Sound waves are initially captured by the outer ear, funneled through the ear canal, and reach the tympanic membrane (eardrum). These vibrations are transmitted via the middle ear's ossicles to the inner ear's cochlea.
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking the...

Perception of Sound Waves

Perception of Sound Waves

The human ear is not equally sensitive to all frequencies in the audible range. It may perceive sound waves with the same pressure but different frequencies as having different loudness. Moreover, the perception of sound waves depends on the health of an individual's ears, which decays with age. The health of one's ears may also be affected by regular exposure to loud noises.
The pitch of a sound depends on the frequency and the pressure amplitude of the source. Two sounds of the same frequency...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Misreporting of energy intake estimated by food records among adolescents in Lao People's Democratic Republic: a cross-sectional study.

BMC nutrition·2026

Same author

Exploring the impact of myotonia on daily functioning in myotonic dystrophy: a patient-reported survey.

BMC neurology·2026

Same author

Prospective longitudinal observational study at an academic medical centre of lifestyle and cognition in older adults with a cochlear implant or hearing aid: study protocol.

BMJ open·2026

Same author

Breastfeeding May Confer Long-Term Immunity Against Emerging Infectious Pathogens-Ecological Evidence over 2 Full Years of the COVID-19 Epidemic in Georgia, United States.

Breastfeeding medicine : the official journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine·2026

Same author

Word Learning Ability Varies Across Contexts and Time: A Longitudinal Study of Primary School Children with Developmental Language Disorder.

Autism & developmental language impairments·2026

Same author

Spatiotemporal trends in tetracycline- and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole-resistant <i>S. aureus</i> among veteran outpatients in the eastern United States.

Epidemiology and infection·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 19, 2026

Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages

Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages

Published on: March 24, 2023

Music perception with cochlear implants and residual hearing.

Kate E Gfeller¹, Carol Olszewski, Christopher Turner

¹School of Music, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA. kay-gfeller@uiowa.edu

Audiology & Neuro-Otology

|October 26, 2006

Summary

Cochlear implant recipients with hybrid devices, preserving acoustic hearing, demonstrated superior music perception compared to those with long-electrode devices. This highlights the importance of residual low-frequency hearing for musical experiences.

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 19, 2026

Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages

Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages

Published on: March 24, 2023

Area of Science:

Audiology
Neuroscience
Biomedical Engineering

Background:

Cochlear implants (CIs) aim to restore hearing in individuals with severe to profound hearing loss.
Conventional CIs use long electrodes (LE) to provide electrical stimulation across a wide frequency range.
Hybrid CIs combine acoustic stimulation for low frequencies with electric stimulation for high frequencies, preserving residual hearing.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate music perception in Cochlear Nucleus Hybrid (acoustic plus electric stimulation) cochlear implant (CI) recipients.
To compare the music perception abilities of Hybrid CI recipients with normal-hearing (NH) adults and recipients of conventional long-electrode (LE) CIs.

Main Methods:

Open-set recognition of real-world songs (with/without lyrics) was assessed in 4 Hybrid CI recipients, 17 NH adults, and 39 LE CI recipients.
Closed-set recognition of 8 musical instruments was evaluated in 14 Hybrid CI recipients, 21 NH adults, and 174 LE CI recipients.

Main Results:

Hybrid CI recipients and NH listeners showed significantly higher accuracy in song recognition without lyrics compared to LE CI recipients (p < 0.0001).
LE CI recipients performed significantly worse than both Hybrid and NH groups in recognizing musical instruments across low and high frequencies (p < 0.0001).

Conclusions:

Preserving low-frequency acoustic hearing is crucial for effective perception of real-world musical stimuli.
Hybrid CI technology may offer advantages for music perception by maintaining residual acoustic hearing.