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.

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...

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...

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...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Vasopressin type-2 receptor mRNA expressions in endolymphatic sac and temporal bone cT findings in Meniere's disease.

Acta oto-laryngologica·2026

Same author

Urban impulse responses measured via the synchronous addition of fireworks to access speech intelligibility in evacuation broadcast.

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America·2026

Same author

Vestibular rehabilitation strategies of the Japan Society for Equilibrium Research.

Auris, nasus, larynx·2026

Same author

Hearing characteristics of Branchio-oto-renal syndrome in Japan.

Acta oto-laryngologica·2026

Same author

The Clinical Details of <i>MYH9</i>-Related Disease and DFNA17 in a Large Japanese Hearing Loss Cohort.

Genes·2026

Same author

Binaural conversion of monaural music recordings using head-related impulse responses.

JASA express letters·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 30, 2025

Author Spotlight: Optimizing EAS with Long Electrodes for Enhanced Cochlear Coverage and Hearing Preservation

Author Spotlight: Optimizing EAS with Long Electrodes for Enhanced Cochlear Coverage and Hearing Preservation

Published on: October 11, 2024

Cartilage Conduction Hearing and Its Clinical Application.

Tadashi Nishimura¹, Hiroshi Hosoi², Ryota Shimokura³

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

Audiology Research

|July 2, 2021

Summary

Cartilage conduction (CC) hearing aids use aural cartilage to transmit sound, offering a non-invasive option for hearing loss. This review clarifies the CC mechanism and its clinical benefits.

Keywords:

airborne sound aural atresia bone conduction bone-anchored hearing aid cartilage conduction conductive hearing loss hearing aid

More Related Videos

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

Neuro-rehabilitation Approach for Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Neuro-rehabilitation Approach for Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Published on: January 25, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Oct 30, 2025

Author Spotlight: Optimizing EAS with Long Electrodes for Enhanced Cochlear Coverage and Hearing Preservation

Author Spotlight: Optimizing EAS with Long Electrodes for Enhanced Cochlear Coverage and Hearing Preservation

Published on: October 11, 2024

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

Neuro-rehabilitation Approach for Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Neuro-rehabilitation Approach for Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Published on: January 25, 2016

Area of Science:

Audiology
Biomedical Engineering
Otorhinolaryngology

Background:

Cartilage conduction (CC) is a sound transmission method utilizing the aural cartilage.
CC hearing aids (CC-HAs) are commercially available in Japan, but the underlying mechanism requires further elucidation.
Understanding CC is crucial for optimizing hearing aid technology.

Purpose of the Study:

To review and synthesize existing research on cartilage conduction.
To clarify the transmission mechanism of CC.
To discuss the clinical applications and advantages of CC hearing aids.

Main Methods:

Review of previous studies on cartilage conduction.
Analysis of sound transmission pathways and thresholds.
Evaluation of clinical outcomes and patient benefits.

Main Results:

Attaching a transducer to the aural cartilage increases sound pressure level in the ear canal.
Ear canal occlusion (earplug, water) alters CC thresholds, highlighting cartilage-air conduction influence.
The aural cartilage acts similarly to a vibration speaker's movable plate in CC transduction.
CC-HAs are suitable for aural atresia, offering comfort, stability, aesthetics, and non-invasiveness.

Conclusions:

Cartilage conduction involves a unique transduction mechanism via the aural cartilage.
CC-HAs provide a valuable, albeit less efficient than bone conduction, solution for specific hearing impairments.
The non-invasive nature and user comfort make CC-HAs clinically advantageous.