Special senses

(hearing and equilibrium)

• Hearing is the ability to
perceive sounds
• Human ear is divided into
three main regions;
I. External ear
II. Middle ear
III. Inner ear

External ear

• Collects sounds waves and

channels them inwards
• Consists of the auricle, the
external auditory canal and
ear drum
Middle ear
• Conveys sound vibrations to the oval window
• Consists of the malleus, incus, and stapes
commonly known as the hammer, anvil and
stirrup respectively
 Special senses
(hearing and equilibrium)
Internal ear

• Also called the

labyrinth
• Structurally consists
of two main division:
I. An outer bony
labyrinth
II. an inner
membranous
labyrinth
 Special senses
(hearing and equilibrium)
Outer bony labyrinth
Membranous labyrinth
• Series of cavities in the petrous
portion of the temporal bone. • A series of epithelial sacs and tubes
• Divided into; inside the bony labyrinth
I. Semicircular canals • House the receptors for hearing and
II. Vestibule equilibrium
III. Cochlea • Contain endolyph
• Lined with periosteum and
contain perilymp which
surrounds the membranous
labyrinth
 Special senses
(hearing and equilibrium)
Vestibule

• The oval portion of the bony

labyrinth
• Membranous labyrinth in the
vestibule consists of two sacs
called the utricle and saccule,
connected by a small duct

Semicircular canals

• Three semicircular canals; anterior,

posterior and lateral
• Ampulla- a swollen enlargement at
the end of each canal
• Semicircular canals- part of the
membranous labyrinth that lie
inside the bony semicircular canals
 Special senses
(hearing and equilibrium)
Cochlea

• Lies anterior to the vestibule

• Snail shaped bony spiral canal
• Makes almost three turns around a
central bony core called modiolus
• Divided into three sections;
I. Cochlea duct- continuation of the
membranous labyrinth and filled
with endolymph.
II. Scala vestibule
III. Scala tympani

• Scala vestibule and scala trympani are part of the

bony labyrinth and are filled with perilymph
• Scala vestibule and scala tympani separated by
the cochlea duct, except at the apex known as
the helicotrema
Structure of the cochlea
 Special senses
(hearing and equilibrium)
Spiral organ or organ of corti

• Rest on the basilar membrane

• Coiled sheet of epithelial cells,
including support cells and
about 16000 hair cells which
are receptors for hearing

Two groups of hair cells

• Inner hair cells- arranged
in single row
• Outer hair cells- arranged
in three rows
• At the apical tip each hair cell there are
40-80 stereocilia and knocilium that
extends into the endolymph of the
cochlea duct.
 Special senses
(hearing and equilibrium)
Spiral organ or organ of corti

• At their basal ends, inner and

outer hair cells synapse both with
first order sensory neurons and
with motor neurons from the
vestibulocochlea (VIII) nerve.
• Cell bodies of the sensory
neurons are located in the spiral
gangilion.
• Tectorial membrane, a flexible
gelatinous membrane, covers the
hair cells of the spiral organ.
 Special senses
(hearing and equilibrium)
Sound waves

• inputs of hearing
• alternating high- and low pressure
regions travelling in the same
direction through some medium
(such as air).
• Originate from a vibrating object

• The frequency of a sound

vibration is its pitch
The higher the frequency of
vibration, the higher is the pitch
Human ear can hear frequencies
between 500 and 5000 herdz (Hz; 1
Hz = 1 cycle per second
The entire audible range extends from 20 to
20,000 Hz
Sounds of speech contain frequencies between
100 and 3000 Hz
The larger the intensity (size or amplitude) of
vibration, the louder is the sound
 Special senses
(hearing and equilibrium)
Measurement of sound

• Sound intensity is measured in

units called decibels (dB).
• An increase of one decibels
represents a tenfold increase in
sound intensity.

Hearing threshold

• The point at which an average

young adult can just distinguish
sound from silence- is defined as 0
dB at 1000 Hz.
• Sound becomes uncomfortable to
a normal ear at 120 dB, and
painful above 140 dB
 Physiology of hearing
Events involved in hearing
Outer ear
1. Auricle directs sound waves into the
external auditory canal
2. Sound waves strike the trympanic
(ear drum) membrane and it
vibrates
Middle ear

3. Central area of the trympanic membrane

connects to the malleus, which vibrates
along. Vibrations are transmitted from
malleus through incus to the stapes.
4. As the stapes move back and forth, its
oval-shaped footplate vibrates in the oval
window. Vibrations at oval wind are 20
times more vigorous
 Physiology of hearing
Inner ear

5. The movement of the stapes at the

oval window sets up fluid pressure
waves in the perilymph of the cochlea.
As the oval window bulges inwards, it
pushes the perilymph of the scala
vestibuli.

6. Pressure waves are transmitted from

the scala tympani and and eventually
to the round window, causing it to
bulge outward into the middle ear.

7. Pressure waves travel through the

perilymph of the scala vestibuli, then
the vestibular membrane, and then
into the endolymph inside the cochlea
duct.
 Physiology of hearing
Inner ear

8. The pressure waves in the endolymph

cause the basilar membrane to vibrate,
which moves the hair cells of the spiral
organ against the tectorial membrane.
This leads to bending of stereocilia and
ultimately to the generation of nerve
impulses in first order neurons in cochlea
nerve fibers.

Key note

Hair cells of the spiral organ convert a

mechanical vibration into an electrical
signal (receptor potential)
 Sense of equilibrium
Types of equilibrium
• Collectively equilibrium
Static equilibrium receptors are called vestibular
• Maintenance of body position (head) apparatus (saccule, utricle and
relative to force of gravity semicircular canals)
• Body movements stimulate receptors
for static equilibrium e.g., tilting your
head, linear acceleration or
deceleration

Dynamic equilibrium
• Maintenance of body position
(head) in response to sudden
movement such as rotational
acceleration or deceleration
 Physiology of equilibrium
Static equilibrium
Take place in the vestibule
• Bony chamber between SCC
and Cochlea
• Contain utricle and saccule

Utricle and saccula

• Contain macula which contain
sensory hair cells and
supporting cells

• Otolithic membrane rest on sensory hair cells

• Otoliths extend over the entire surface of the
otolithic membrane
• Head bending forward and back or to sides
stimulate hair cells and pull open transduction
channels producing depolarizing potential
 Physiology of equilibrium
Dynamic equilibrium
Three semicircular canals
• Anterior
• Posterior and
• Lateral
Permits detection of rotational
acceleration or deceleration
• Sensory hair cells and supporting cells are
located in ampulla, (crista)
• Cupula cover the crista
• Head movement moves the attached
semicircular canals together with the hair
cells
• Endolymph within ampulla is not attached
and lack behind.
• Hair cells bend as they drag along stationary
endolymph and produce receptor potentials
• Receptor potential lead to nerve impulses
and pass to the vestibulocochlear (VIII) nerve
Physiology of equilibrium