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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 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.

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...

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.

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: Apr 23, 2026

Simple Surgical Induction of Conductive Hearing Loss with Verification Using Otoscope Visualization and Behavioral Clap Startle Response in Rat

Simple Surgical Induction of Conductive Hearing Loss with Verification Using Otoscope Visualization and Behavioral Clap Startle Response in Rat

Published on: October 26, 2019

Cartilage conduction hearing.

Ryota Shimokura¹, Hiroshi Hosoi¹, Tadashi Nishimura¹

¹Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Nara Medical University, 840 Shijo-cho, Kashihara, Nara 634-8522, Japan.

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America

|September 20, 2014

Summary

Cartilage conduction delivers sound via aural cartilage vibration, distinct from bone conduction. Applying gentle force with a transducer amplifies sound, especially at lower frequencies, with potential hearing aid applications.

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Last Updated: Apr 23, 2026

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Published on: October 26, 2019

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Area of Science:

Audiology
Biomedical Engineering
Acoustics

Background:

Sound typically reaches the cochlea through air or bone conduction.
A novel method, cartilage conduction, uses aural cartilage vibration to produce audible sound.
Cartilage conduction differs from bone conduction due to impedance mismatches.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate cartilage conduction as a distinct sound transmission pathway.
To explore the effect of transducer application force on sound amplification via cartilage conduction.
To assess the potential of cartilage conduction for hearing aid and cell phone technology.

Main Methods:

A transducer was applied to the aural cartilage using controlled force.
Sound levels within the auditory canal were measured.
The impact of varying application force (specifically 1 N) on sound amplification was analyzed.

Main Results:

Cartilage conduction was confirmed as a viable sound transmission method.
Sound amplification was observed, particularly for frequencies below 2 kHz.
Optimal amplification occurred at a low application force of 1 N, indicating comfort and feasibility.

Conclusions:

Cartilage conduction offers a unique pathway for sound delivery.
Controlled force application to aural cartilage can significantly amplify sound, especially at low frequencies.
This finding has promising implications for developing comfortable and effective hearing aids and enhancing cell phone audio.