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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.

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...

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...

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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 18, 2026

High-Speed Human Temporal Bone Sectioning for the Assessment of COVID-19-Associated Middle Ear Pathology

High-Speed Human Temporal Bone Sectioning for the Assessment of COVID-19-Associated Middle Ear Pathology

Published on: May 18, 2022

Cochlear pathology in human temporal bones with otitis media.

Shruti Joglekar¹, Norimasa Morita, Sebahattin Cureoglu

¹Department of Otolaryngology, University of Minnesota, 420 Delaware Street, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. drshrutisj@gmail.com

Acta Oto-Laryngologica

|November 10, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Otitis media can cause cochlear damage, leading to hearing loss. Pathological changes in the cochlea, particularly in the basal turn, correlate with sensorineural hearing loss in patients with middle ear infections.

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Intrathecal Application of a Fluorescent Dye for the Identification of Cerebrospinal Fluid Leaks in Cochlear Malformation

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Published on: February 29, 2020

Area of Science:

Otolaryngology
Pathology
Audiology

Background:

Otitis media, a common middle ear infection, can affect the inner ear.
Understanding the cochlear pathology associated with otitis media is crucial for managing hearing loss.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the histopathological changes in the cochlea resulting from chronic and purulent otitis media.
To correlate these changes with the prevalence of sensorineural hearing loss.

Main Methods:

Examined 82 temporal bones from patients with otitis media (47 chronic, 35 purulent).
Excluded cases with confounding factors like trauma or ototoxicity.
Compared hair cell loss and stria vascularis changes in the cochlea against age-matched controls.

Main Results:

19% of chronic and 9% of purulent otitis media cases showed labyrinthine inflammation.
Inflammation varied from localized purulent to generalized serous.
Observed significant hair cell loss and reduced stria vascularis area in the basal cochlear turn.

Conclusions:

Otitis media can lead to significant cochlear pathology, including hair cell loss.
Pathological changes are more pronounced in the basal turn of the cochlea.
These findings support the link between otitis media and high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss.