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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.

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...

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.

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...

Hair Cells

Hair Cells

Hair cells are the sensory receptors of the auditory system—they transduce mechanical sound waves into electrical energy that the nervous system can understand. Hair cells are located in the organ of Corti within the cochlea of the inner ear, between the basilar and tectorial membranes. The actual sensory receptors are called inner hair cells. The outer hair cells serve other functions, such as sound amplification in the cochlea, and are not discussed in detail here.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 15, 2026

Performing Intracochlear Electrocochleography During Cochlear Implantation

Performing Intracochlear Electrocochleography During Cochlear Implantation

Published on: March 8, 2022

Cochlear sources and otoacoustic emissions.

Tiffany A Johnson¹

¹Speech-Language-Hearing: Sciences and Disorders, University of Kansas, USA. tiffany-johnson@ku.edu

Journal of the American Academy of Audiology

|March 10, 2010

Summary

Distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) exhibit fine structure due to interacting generation mechanisms, which cannot be eliminated by adjusting stimulus parameters for clinical use. Stimulus frequency OAEs (SFOAEs) may offer an alternative for clinical applications.

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Cochlear Implant Surgery and Electrically-evoked Auditory Brainstem Response Recordings in C57BL/6 Mice

Published on: January 9, 2019

Area of Science:

Auditory Neuroscience
Otoacoustic Emissions Research
Hearing Science

Background:

Otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) are generated via nonlinear-distortion and coherent-reflection mechanisms in the cochlea.
Distortion product OAEs (DPOAEs) involve both mechanisms, leading to 'fine structure' in their responses.
Stimulus frequency OAEs (SFOAEs) are primarily linked to the coherent-reflection mechanism.

Purpose of the Study:

To review cochlear OAE generation mechanisms and their clinical relevance.
To investigate the impact of stimulus parameters on DPOAE fine structure.
To explore potential clinical applications of SFOAEs.

Main Methods:

Literature review on OAE generation mechanisms.
Preliminary data collection from 10 normal-hearing subjects.
Exploration of DPOAE stimulus parameter settings and SFOAE recording parameters.

Main Results:

Fine structure in DPOAEs appears consistent across various stimulus parameters at clinical levels.
Manipulation of stimulus parameters does not eliminate DPOAE fine structure.
Preliminary identification of parameters for robust SFOAE recording in normal hearing.

Conclusions:

DPOAE fine structure is inherent and not easily manipulated for clinical improvement.
SFOAEs, generated by a single mechanism, present a promising avenue for clinical audiology.
Further research into SFOAEs could unlock new clinical diagnostic tools.