The EAR

THE STRUCTURE OF THE EAR

PRESENTATION BY: Dr. Nicole Levy
Unit four: Objectives nine (9) and ten
(10)
 Identify the parts of the mammalian ear. Relate
structure to function. (Include balance and
reception of sound.

 Describe the pathway of vibrations/sound waves

passing along the ear.
Welcome Everyone to another session of Bio
Talk. Today, we’ll be discussing the structure
and function of the different parts of the ear
 The Importance of the ear
 The two ears help you detect the source of the sound by
relative loudness heard by each ear.
 The ear has two main functions. These are:
1. It is our organ of hearing
2. It is our organ of balance

The ear is an advanced and very sensitive organ of the

human body. The ear’s function is to transmit and
transduce sound to the brain through the parts of the ear:
the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear.
The sections of the ear- The outer ear,
middle and inner ear
 The Parts of the Outer Ear
 The outer ear is composed of TWO main parts these include:

 The pinna
 The ear canal or auditory canal
The outer ear helps collect the sound waves and
pass them down the ear passage or external auditory
canal.
THE OUTER EAR components- The Pinna

 What is the pinna? The pinna is the only visible part of the ear (the
auricle) with its special helical shape. It is the first part of the ear
that reacts with sound.
 The function of the pinna is to act as a kind of funnel which assists in
directing the sound further into the ear.
The Pinna Cntd’

 Without this funnel the sound waves would take a more direct route
into the auditory canal. This would be both difficult and wasteful as
much of the sound would be lost making it harder to hear and
understand the sounds.
Analogy of the Outer Ear
The Auditory Canal- Ear Canal

 Once the sound waves have passed the pinna, they move two to three
centimeters into the auditory canal before hitting the eardrum, also
known as the tympanic membrane.
 The function of the ear canal is to transmit sound from the pinna to
the eardrum. 
The Auditory Canal ‘Cntd’

 In addition to protecting the eardrum, the auditory canal also

functions as a natural hearing aid which automatically amplifies
(makes it louder) low and less penetrating sounds of the human voice.
In this way the ear compensates for some of the weaknesses of the
human voice, and makes it easier to hear and understand ordinary
conversation.
The Ear Drum or The Tympanic
Membrane
 What is the eardrum? The eardrum (tympanic membrane), is a membrane at
the end of the auditory canal and marks the beginning of the middle ear. The
eardrum is extremely sensitive and pressure from sound waves makes the
eardrum vibrate.
 In order to protect the eardrum, the auditory canal is slightly curved making
it more difficult for insects, for example, to reach the eardrum. At the same
time, earwax (cerumen) in the auditory canal also helps to keep unwanted
materials like dirt, dust and insects out of the ear.
The middle ear
 The Middle Ear
 What is the middle ear? The middle ear is the part of the ear between the
eardrum and the oval window.
 The middle ear is an ear filled cavity and the pressure is kept equal on each side
by air passing through the Eustachian tube.
 The middle ear transmits sound from the outer ear to the inner ear. The middle
ear consists of three bones:
 1)the hammer (malleus)
 2)the anvil (incus)
 3)the stirrup (stapes)
 Other Parts of the Middle Ear
 The oval window
 The round window
 The Eustachian tube.
The bones of the middle ear (Ossicles)
 The eardrum is very thin, measures approximately 8-10 mm in
diameter and is stretched by means of small muscles. The pressure
from sound waves makes the eardrum vibrate. 
 The vibrations are transmitted further into the ear via three bones in
the middle ear: the hammer (malleus), the anvil (incus) and the stirrup
(stapes). These three bones form a kind of bridge, and the stirrup,
which is the last bone that sounds reach, is connected to the oval
window.
The oval window
 When the sound waves are transmitted from the eardrum to the oval
window, the middle ear is functioning as an acoustic transformer
amplifying the sound waves before they move on into the inner ear.

 The oval window is covered by a membrane and transmits vibrations

from the stapes (stirrup) in the air-filled middle ear into the fluid-
filled inner ear.

 The pressure of the sound waves on the oval window is some 20 times
higher than on the eardrum.
 The pressure is increased due to the difference in size between the
relatively large surface of the eardrum and the smaller surface of the
oval window.
The round window

 The round window is part of the internal anatomy of the ear. It consists of a

small opening between the ear canal and the inner ear, covered in a flexible

membrane. When pressure builds up inside the ear, the round window can

bulge out to create an outlet, relieving the pressure.

The Eustachian Tube

The Eustachian tube is a tube leading

from the middle ear to the back of the
throat
It is kept close by sphincter muscle at
the bottom.
The Eustachian tube
 The Eustachian tube’s function is to equalise the
air pressure on both sides of the eardrum,
ensuring that pressure does not build up in the
ear. The tube opens when you swallow, thus
equalising the air pressure inside and outside the
ear.
The oval window
 What is the oval window? The oval window
is a membrane covering the entrance to the
cochlea in the inner ear. When the eardrum
vibrates, the sound waves travel via the
hammer and anvil to the stirrup and then
on to the oval window.
Abnormalities due to unequal pressures

 Ifthe pressure is not equalized, a pressure will

build up on the eardrum, preventing it from
vibrating properly. The limited vibration results in
a slight reduction in hearing ability. A large
difference in pressure will cause discomfort and
even slight pain.
The Inner Ear
 The inner ear is filled with fluid
 The Oval window - connects the middle ear with the inner
ear
 Once the vibrations of the eardrum have been transmitted
to the oval window, the sound waves continue their
journey into the inner ear. The inner ear contains the:
 Semicircular ducts
 Cochlea
 Auditory tube or nerve
Diagram showing the parts of the inner
ear
 The Cochlea
 There is a fluid present in the cochlea and vibrations passing from
the oval window pass to the fluid inside the cochlea known as
perilymph.
The fluid in the inner ear passes vibrations around the spiral shaped
cochlea
 The cochlea is sensitive to sound waves, the cells which are
sensitive to sound waves are inside the cochlea. Sound waves
need to be stronger or amplified before these cells will respond to
them.
 This chain of events helps to amplify the size of the vibrations. As
the perilymph vibrates, it makes the membrane in the cochlea
move up and down.
 The Cochlea Cntd’

 On the membrane are hair cells. The hairs are embedded in a plate of jelly. As
they move up and down, the hairs are pulled and pushed against the jelly plate.
 This makes the hair cells send messages along the auditory nerve to the brain.
The hair cells in different parts of the cochlea respond to different frequencies of
vibration
 The ones nearest to the oval window respond to high frequencies (high pitched
sounds). Low frequency sounds are picked up by the cells nearest the middle of
the coil.
 The auditory centre of the cerebral cortex in the brain interprets the impulses
known as sounds
 Loudness will be detected by the degree of stimulation of the cells
The semi-circular Canal- REGULATES
BALANCE
 The other part of the inner ear consists of the semi-circular
canals above the cochlea
 Each semi-circular canal is at right angles to the other two, so
that whichever way the head is moved, at least one canal
moves. By comparing the messages from each one , your brain
can tell exactly how your head is moving, and so enable you to
keep your balance.
 The three semi- circular canals are sensitive to movements of
the head.
 They are filled with endolymph, which is a jelly-like fluid in the
ear. Movement of the head will cause the fluid to stimulate
sensitive hairs (UTRICULUS) in swellings at each canal.
 Nerves leading from these send impulses to the brain. These
impulses coordinate the correct muscles for balance
Semi-Circular Canals Cntd’
 Dizziness after rapid spinning round of the body is caused by the fluid
oscillating back and forth in the semi-circular canals this sends information to
the brain. Hence muscles wrongly moves and the body becomes unbalanced
The importance of these things is shown
The loss of balance when you spin your
Body around with your eyes closed.
NB: CONTROL OF BALANCE REQUIRES,
STIMULI FROM SEMI-CIRRCULAR CANALS.
Section Through a semi- circular canal
 Pathway of a sound wave
 Pathway of a Sound Wave
 1. The sound waves arrive at the pinna (auricle), the only visible part of the
ear.
 2. Once the sound waves have passed the pinna, they move into the auditory
canal (external acoustic meatus) before hitting the tympanic membrane
(eardrum).
 3. Once the sound waves reach the tympanic membrane, it begins to vibrate
and they enter into the middle ear.
 4. The vibrations are transmitted further into the ear via three bones (ossicles):
malleus (hammer), incus (anvil), and the stapes (stirrup). These three bones
form a bridge from the tympanic membrane to the oval window.
 5. Once sound passes through the oval window, it enters into the cochlea in the
inner ear.
 6. Hair cells in the organ of the cochlea are stimulated which in turn stimulates
the cochlear nerve.
 7. The cochlear nerve then transmits electrical impulses to the auditory region
of the brain.
Video explaining the passage of sound through the ear