Auditory system
sensory system used for hearing
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The auditory system is the sensory system for the sense for hearing. The sense organ for hearing is the ear.
Structure of the ear
changeOuter ear
changeThe outer ear is the folds of cartilage surrounding the ear canal. They are called the pinna.
Middle ear
changeSound waves travelling through the ear canal will hit the tympanum, or eardrum. Three tiny bones, the ossicles, convert the waves to high pressure vibrations. They are then converted to nerve impulses in the cochlea.
Inner ear
changeThe inner ear is made mostly of the cochlea. The cochlea is made up of three pieces, and is filled with liquid. It transforms sound waves to electric signals in neurons. The semicircular canals of the inner ear are used in equilibrioception, the sense of balance.
Related pages
changeOther websites
change- Promenade 'round the cochlea Archived 2007-08-27 at the Wayback Machine
- Washington University Neuroscience Tutorial - Auditory system Archived 2006-02-05 at the Wayback Machine