Frequency tuning in the cochlea is determined by the passive mechanical properties of the basilar membrane and active feedback from the outer hair cells, sensory-effector cells that detect and amplify ...

For decades, hearing experts thought that the cochlea's spiral shape was simply an efficient packing job and its shape had no effect on how this critical hearing organ functions. But a recent study by ...

Until now, the part of the ear that processes speech was poorly reflected in computer models, but University of Michigan researchers have figured out the math that describes how it works—which could ...

Most cochlear nerves carry information from the cochlea to the brain, but about 5% send signals in the opposite direction: from the brain to the cochlea. The exact role of those fibers has been a ...

Cochlear implantation was associated with improved speech perception and cognitive function in adults 65 years or older with profound hearing loss, according to a report. Hearing impairment is ...

The organ of Corti – the hearing organ of the inner ear - forms from a ribbon of progenitor cells running the length of the cochlear duct, termed the prosensory domain. Starting at about embryonic day ...

Like other sensory organs that allow mankind to experience the environment, the ear has long held a special fascination for scientists. In mammals, the inner workings of the ear are encased in the ...

The next time someone whispers in your ear, think "cochlea." The cochlea is the marvelous structure in the inner ear that is shaped like a snail shell and transforms sounds into the nerve impulses ...