Stapes anvil and hammer series#

The neural signals from these two regions are relayed to the brain stem through separate fiber bundles. It has two separate regions, the cochlea and the vestibule, which are responsible for hearing and balance, respectively.

Stapes anvil and hammer series#

The inner ear is often described as a bony labyrinth, as it is composed of a series of canals embedded within the temporal bone.

The inner ear contains the cochlea and vestibule, which are responsible for audition and equilibrium, respectively. The middle ear contains the ossicles and is connected to the pharynx by the Eustachian tube. The tube is normally closed but will pop open when the muscles of the pharynx contract during swallowing or yawning.įigure 1. Structures of the Ear The external ear contains the auricle, ear canal, and tympanic membrane. The middle ear is connected to the pharynx through the Eustachian tube, which helps equilibrate air pressure across the tympanic membrane. The stapes is then attached to the inner ear, where the sound waves will be transduced into a neural signal. The incus, in turn, articulates with the stapes. The malleus is attached to the tympanic membrane and articulates with the incus. The three ossicles are the malleus, incus, and stapes, which are Latin names that roughly translate to hammer, anvil, and stirrup. The middle ear consists of a space spanned by three small bones called the ossicles. The auricle, ear canal, and tympanic membrane are often referred to as the external ear. At the end of the auditory canal is the tympanic membrane, or ear drum, which vibrates after it is struck by sound waves. The canal enters the skull through the external auditory meatus of the temporal bone. The C-shaped curves of the auricle direct sound waves toward the auditory canal. Some sources will also refer to this structure as the pinna, though that term is more appropriate for a structure that can be moved, such as the external ear of a cat. The large, fleshy structure on the lateral aspect of the head is known as the auricle. Hearing, or audition, is the transduction of sound waves into a neural signal that is made possible by the structures of the ear (Figure 1).