5. Structure of the Ear Designated as outer ear structures are the visible part of the ear, called the auricle, and the waxy, dirt-trapping auditory canal which conveys changes in air pressure and sound waves to the eardrum. The eardrum, or tympanic membrane, begins the middle ear, which also comprises the eustachian tube and the three vibrating bones of the ear: malleus, incus, and stapes. The cochlea and semicircular canals make up the inner ear. Information passes from the inner ear to the brain via the auditory nerve.
6. Inner Ear The inner ear is a labyrinth of twisting fluid-filled passages associated with hearing and balance. Three canals wind into a snail-shaped structure called the cochlea. Sound vibrations amplified by the bones of the middle ear travel through these canals, moving tiny hairs that stimulate fibres connected to the auditory nerve. Sounds from the outside are in this way encoded to travel to the brain. The rear section of the inner ear houses the semicircular canals. Connected to each other by the structure called the vestibule, the canals are sensitive to gravity, acceleration, and head movement and position.
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