EAR
Ear is the origin of hearing. The VIII cranial nerve carries sensation of hearing towards cerebral
cortex of brain in the hearing area where interpretation occurs. Most part of ear is situated in
the petrous part of the temporal bone except the pinna lying outside.
The ear has three parts: External ear, Middle ear and Internal ear.
EXTERNAL EAR:
External ear consists of pinna and external auditory meatus.
Pinna or auricle is the outer part of ear which is a expanded part, projecting from the side of
head. This part is made of fibroelastic cartilage which is covered with the skin. The size of the
pinna is variable in different animals. The expanded outer edge is known as helix and the lower
most part is known as lobule. It is composed of fibrous and adipose tissue, supplied with blood
capillaries.
EXTERNAL AUDITORY MEATUS:
It is the irregular shaped long tube about 02.5 cm in length; it starts from the pinna to reach
tympanic membrane or eardrum. It is divided into two parts:
Cartilaginous part which is about one third of the canal and osseous part, lying medially two
third of canal. The ceremonious glands lie in cartilaginous portion. The ceremonious glands
are modified sweat gland which secretes wax called ceriman. The ceriman helps to trap the
unwanted particles entering in the ear, such as dust or insects.
Tympanic membrane or eardrum separates the external ear from the middle ear. Eardrum is
round and oval in shape and composed of three layers of tissues. Outer layer is made up of
stratified epithelium; middle layer is made up of fibrous tissue, and inner layer contains
cuboidal epithelium.
THE MIDDLE EAR:
It is also known as tympanic cavity. It is the irregular shaped cavity lying in the temporal bone.
It is filled up with air by auditory tube which comes from the pharynx. Auditory tube is about
04 cm long. Air reaches the cavity through Eustacian tube which extends from nasopharynx.
The pressure on the eardrum is maintained by air coming from atmosphere through the external
auditory meatus and air coming through auditory tube. So the eardrum remains in a stretched
condition which helps for vibration due to sound waves. The lateral side of middle ear is made
up of the tympanic membrane, roof and floor is formed by temporal bone. The posterior wall
is also made up of temporal bone. It has a small opening which extends to mastoid atrium. It is
used for passing air to reach mastoid cells.
In the medial wall, there are two openings, oval window or fenestrate vestibule where a small
bone called stapes fits and the round window or fenestrate cochleae which are closed by thin
sheet of fibrous tissue.
The middle ear contains chain of small three bones called auditory ossicles. One end of auditory
ossicle is attached to eardrum and other to fenestrate vestibule. Auditory ossicle contains small
bones called, the malleus, the incus and the stapes. The malleus is hammer shaped which
contain head, neck and handle. The handle of the malleus is attached to eardrum and head
shows movable joint with incus. The incus is anvil shaped, present in the middle part of chain.
It contains head, neck, two limbs and a base. The body is attached to malleus and process with
the stapes. The stapes is stirrup shaped; contain head, neck, two limbs and a base. The head of
stapes is fixed with incus and base is fixed in fenestrate vestibule. With the help of ligaments,
these three bones maintain their position.
THE INTERNAL EAR:
It contains bony portion, called bony labyrinth and membranous portion, called the
membranous labyrinth. The cavity of bony labyrinth is larger than the membranous labyrinth.
The membranous labyrinth fits into bony labyrinth. There is a space between two labyrinths
which contains a fluid called per lymph whereas membranous labyrinth also contains fluid
called endolymph. The bony labyrinth contains three parts: the vestibule, the cochlea, and three
semicircular canals. The expanded part near the middle ear is known as vestibule, containing
vestibule and fenestra cochlea. The cochlea looks like snail's shape which has a broad base and
the apex. The semi-circular canals are continuous with the vestibule. The shape of membranous
labyrinth is similar. This part is smaller than bony labyrinth. The vestibule contains utricle and
saccade. The membranous cochlea has the duct of the cochlea. Inside part is known as basilar
membrane. On the basilar membrane lies the nerve cells and nerve fibres. The cells are long
and narrow and situated side by side and hair are present on the cells. All nerve cells and nerve
fibres form a true organ of hearing called organ of corgi. The nerve fibre combines with each
other to form the auditory nerve-VIII cranial nerve. Auditory nerve goes backwards through
temporal bone to reach hearing area of cerebral cortex of brain.
PHYSIOLOGY OF EAR (HEARING):
Every sound produces sound waves or vibrations in the air, which travel at about 332 metres
per second. The auricle, because of its shape, collects and concentrates the waves and directs
them along the auditory canal causing the tympanic membrane to vibrate.
Tympanic membrane vibrations are transmitted and amplified through the middle ear by
movement of the ossicles. At their medial end the footplate of the stapes rocks to and fro in the
oval window, setting up fluid waves in the perilymph of the scala vestibuli. Some of the force
of these waves is transmitted along the length of the scala vestibuli and scala tympani, but most
of the pressure is transmitted into the cochlear duct. This causes a corresponding wave motion
in the endolymph, resulting in vibration of the basilar membrane and stimulation of the auditory
receptors in the hair cells of the spiral organ.
The nerve impulses generated pass to the brain in the cochlear (auditory) portion of the
vestibulocochlear nerve (8th cranial nerve). The fluid wave is finally expended into the middle
ear by vibration of the membrane of the round window.
The vestibulocochlear nerve transmits the impulses to the auditory nuclei in the medulla, where
they synapse before they are conducted to the auditory area in the temporal lobe of the
cerebrum. Because some fibres cross over in the medulla and others remain on the same side,
the left and right auditory areas of the cerebrum receive impulses from both ears.
Figure: Passage of Sound waves A: The ear with cochles uncoiled B; Summary of transmission
Sound waves have the properties of pitch and volume, or intensity. Pitch is determined by the
frequency of the sound waves and is measured in Hertz (Hz). Sounds of different frequencies
stimulate the basilar membrane (Fig. 8.6A) at different places along its length, allowing
discrimination of pitch.
The volume depends on the magnitude of the sound waves and is measured in decibels (dB).
The greater the amplitude of the wave created in the endolymph, the greater is the stimulation
of the auditory receptors in the hair cells in the spiral organ, enabling perception of volume.
Long-term exposure to excessive noise causes hearing loss because it damages the sensitive
hair cells of the spiral organ.