inner ear

• • Cochlea: snail-shaped, spiral tube filled with fluid. The vestibular apparatus is involved in maintaining balance. The middle chamber of the cochlea consists of hair cells attached to the basilar membrane. (organ of corti) Hair cells act as sound receptors and, when bent, generate nerve impulses.
• • Auditory nerve: transmits nerve impulses to the brain for interpretation
• • High frequency vibrations (high pitched sounds) stimulate hair cells closest to the base of cochlea (near the oval window). Low frequency vibrations (low pitched sounds) stimulate their cells closest to the centre of the cochlea (apex of spiral)
• • The vibrations moving through the fluid cause the movement of the hair cells, which convert these vibrations (kinetic energy) into electrochemical impulses that are transmitted to the auditory nerve.