![]() The inner ear also contains the vestibular organ that is responsible for balance. The brain then interprets these signals, and this is how we hear. These nerve endings transform the vibrations into electrical impulses that then travel along the eighth cranial nerve (auditory nerve) to the brain. As the fluid moves, 25,000 nerve endings are set into motion. The information is decoded and integrated by each relay nucleus in the pathway and finally projected to the auditory cortex. The cochlea is filled with a fluid that moves in response to the vibrations from the oval window. The auditory pathway starts at the cochlear nucleus, then the superior olivary complex, then the inferior colliculus, and finally the medial geniculate nucleus. The sound waves enter the inner ear and then into the cochlea, a snail-shaped organ. The Eustachian tube, which opens into the middle ear, is responsible for equalizing the pressure between the air outside the ear and that within the middle ear. The tiny stapes bone attaches to the oval window that connects the middle ear to the inner ear. The auditory brainstem, midbrain, and cortex have a multiplicity of parallel and overlapping pathways, which have parallel but overlapping and interrelated functions. A great deal of additional processing takes place in the neural centres that lie in the auditory brainstem and cerebral cortex. The three bones are named after their shapes: the malleus (hammer), incus (anvil) and stapes (stirrup). There is a collection of tracts that connects the cochlea to primary auditory cortex, known as the central auditory pathway. 7.1 The ascending auditory pathway Up till now we have dealt with the anatomy of the auditory periphery and how the basic attributes of sound are coded within the auditory periphery. The ossicles are actually tiny bones - the smallest in the human body. The vibrations from the eardrum set the ossicles into motion. This article will explore the anatomy, function and clinical relevance of the auditory pathway. It is composed of a number of nuclei and is dependent on a range of functional areas. Sound waves cause the eardrum to vibrate. The auditory pathway is more complex than the visual and the olfactory pathways. The sound waves then travel toward a flexible, oval membrane at the end of the ear canal called the eardrum, or tympanic membrane. It collects sound waves and channels them into the ear canal (external auditory meatus), where the sound is amplified. The auricle (pinna) is the visible portion of the outer ear. Understanding the parts of the ear - and the role of each in processing sounds - can help you better understand hearing loss.
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