Which inner-ear structure is essential for hearing by transducing sound into neural signals?

Which inner-ear structure is essential for hearing by transducing sound into neural signals?

• A. Pinna
• B. Ossicles
• C. Cochlea
• D. External auditory canal

Answer: (C)

Hearing relies on transduction of mechanical energy into neural signals, and this happens in the inner ear’s cochlea. When the stapes pushes on the fluid inside the cochlea, it sets the fluid in motion. The hair cells along the organ of Corti bend in response to that motion, and their movement converts mechanical energy into electrochemical signals. These signals are then sent via the auditory nerve to the brain, where they are interpreted as sound. Other parts of the ear have different roles. The pinna and the external auditory canal collect and funnel sound waves toward the eardrum, while the ossicles (the tiny middle-ear bones) transmit and amplify those vibrations from the eardrum to the cochlea. They don’t themselves transduce sound into neural signals.

Hearing relies on transduction of mechanical energy into neural signals, and this happens in the inner ear’s cochlea. When the stapes pushes on the fluid inside the cochlea, it sets the fluid in motion. The hair cells along the organ of Corti bend in response to that motion, and their movement converts mechanical energy into electrochemical signals. These signals are then sent via the auditory nerve to the brain, where they are interpreted as sound.

Other parts of the ear have different roles. The pinna and the external auditory canal collect and funnel sound waves toward the eardrum, while the ossicles (the tiny middle-ear bones) transmit and amplify those vibrations from the eardrum to the cochlea. They don’t themselves transduce sound into neural signals.