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

Anatomy of the Ear

Anatomy of the Ear

Auditory sensation, commonly called hearing, involves the transformation of sonic waves into neural impulses facilitated by the structures of the auditory organ. The prominent, flesh-like structure on the side of the head, called the auricle, directs sound waves towards the auditory canal. The auricle is often mislabeled as the pinna, a term more aligned with mobile structures like a feline's external ear. The auditory canal penetrates the cranium via the external auditory meatus of the...

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.

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...

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.

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...

The Auditory Ossicles

The Auditory Ossicles

The auditory ossicles of the middle ear transmit sounds from the air as vibrations to the fluid-filled cochlea. The auditory ossicles consist of two malleus (hammer) bones, two incus (anvil) bones, and two stapes (stirrups), one on each side. These bones develop during the fetal stage and are the ones to ossify first. They are fully mature at birth and do not grow afterward.
The aptly named stapes look very much like a stirrup. The three ossicles are unique to mammals, and each plays a role in...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

The microtubule-binding protein EML3 is required for mammalian embryonic growth and cerebral cortical development, and Eml3 null mice are a model of cobblestone brain malformation.

eLife·2026

Same author

A. James Hudspeth (1945-2025): A pioneer in the biology and physics of hearing.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

Phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate-dependent Klp98A recruitment regulates endosomal flux underlying developmental synaptic remodeling via Rab4.

Journal of cell science·2026

Same author

A busy BOD1-y: the diverse functions of an intracellular signaling regulatory protein family.

Biochemical Society transactions·2025

Same author

A correlative quantitative phase contrast and fluorescence super-resolution microscope for imaging molecules in their cellular context.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025

Same author

Maspin/SerpinB5 is a cytoskeleton-binding protein that regulates epithelial cell shape.

Communications biology·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 30, 2026

Extracting the Cochlea from a Human Temporal Bone: A Cadaveric Protocol

Extracting the Cochlea from a Human Temporal Bone: A Cadaveric Protocol

Published on: August 18, 2023

Hearing mechanics: a fly in your ear.

Susanne Bechstedt¹, Jonathon Howard

¹Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstrasse 108, 01307 Dresden, Germany. bechsted@mpi-cbg.de

Current Biology : CB

|September 25, 2008

Summary

The Drosophila auditory organ is a promising model for studying mechanical signal processing in vertebrate inner ear sensory hair cells. This research explores its potential for understanding complex auditory functions.

Area of Science:

Auditory Neuroscience
Mechanotransduction in Sensory Systems
Model Organisms in Biology

Background:

The auditory organ of Drosophila melanogaster offers a simplified system to investigate principles of mechanotransduction.
Sensory hair cells in the vertebrate inner ear perform complex mechanical signal processing, crucial for hearing.
Understanding these processes is vital for addressing hearing loss and auditory disorders.

Discussion:

The Drosophila auditory system shares fundamental biophysical properties with vertebrate auditory hair cells.
Investigating Drosophila provides insights into the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying auditory transduction.
This model system facilitates genetic and experimental manipulation not feasible in vertebrates.

Key Insights:

More Related Videos

An Experimental Platform to Study the Closed-loop Performance of Brain-machine Interfaces

An Experimental Platform to Study the Closed-loop Performance of Brain-machine Interfaces

Published on: March 10, 2011

A Lightweight, Headphones-based System for Manipulating Auditory Feedback in Songbirds

A Lightweight, Headphones-based System for Manipulating Auditory Feedback in Songbirds

Published on: November 26, 2012

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 30, 2026

Extracting the Cochlea from a Human Temporal Bone: A Cadaveric Protocol

Extracting the Cochlea from a Human Temporal Bone: A Cadaveric Protocol

Published on: August 18, 2023

An Experimental Platform to Study the Closed-loop Performance of Brain-machine Interfaces

An Experimental Platform to Study the Closed-loop Performance of Brain-machine Interfaces

Published on: March 10, 2011

A Lightweight, Headphones-based System for Manipulating Auditory Feedback in Songbirds

A Lightweight, Headphones-based System for Manipulating Auditory Feedback in Songbirds

Published on: November 26, 2012

Drosophila auditory organ mechanics are analogous to vertebrate hair cell function.

This model aids in dissecting the biophysics of auditory signal detection.

Comparative studies highlight conserved mechanisms in auditory processing.

Outlook:

Future research can leverage Drosophila to uncover novel targets for therapeutic interventions in hearing impairment.
Continued investigation may reveal conserved pathways for sensory regeneration.
This model system holds significant potential for advancing our understanding of auditory system development and function.