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How does sound travel from the outer ear to the brain?
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audiology
Learn about the audiology department of the Center for Audiology, Speech, Language, and Learning, a nonprofit clinic at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.
Sound travels from the outer ear to the brain through a complex process of mechanical and electrical conversion:
- Outer Ear: The auricle collects sound waves and funnels them into the external auditory canal, which directs them to the tympanic membrane.1
- Middle Ear: Sound vibrations cause the tympanic membrane to move, which in turn moves the ossicular chain—the malleus, incus, and stapes. The stapes transmits these vibrations to the inner ear via the oval window.12
- Inner Ear: Vibrations create waves in the cochlear fluids, causing the basilar membrane to move. This movement bends the stereocilia of the hair cells in the organ of Corti, triggering the release of neurotransmitters that stimulate the cochlear nerve.34
- Brain: Nerve impulses travel along the cochlear nerve to the brainstem and through a series of central auditory pathways, eventually reaching the cerebral cortex for processing.54