The ear is considered to be a complex vestibular organ, which is responsible for the performance of two functions. It perceives sound waves, is responsible for maintaining equilibrium and has the ability to hold the body in space in a certain position. The ear is a paired organ located in the temporal bone of the skull and is limited outside by the auricles. The ear is represented by three sections, each of which is responsible for certain functions: external, middle and internal.
Inner ear. Structure.
The internal structure of the ears is a bit like a snail (which is why it has the same name), and is a complex tubular system that is filled with liquid. The inner ear is located deep in the temporal bone, it consists of two parts - the cochlea (organ of hearing) and the semicircular canals (organ of balance).
These organs contain a sound-receiving apparatus and a vestibular analyzer, which is responsible for the position of the body in space, for maintaining balance, as well as for muscle tone. The anatomical commonality of these two important systems is very important, and their imbalance can cause not only hearing problems, but also a disorder of vestibular function, the main sign of which is vomiting, nausea, dizziness.
The balance organ of the inner ear
The vestibular apparatus or organ of equilibrium consists of semicircular canals that are located in three perpendicular planes, and of two small sacs. The perilymph fills the canals, inside which there are other tubules filled with endolymph, they communicate with the cochlear canals. Sensitive nerve endings form impulses that respond to the tilts of the head, and the brain calculates how the body is located in relation to the head.
There are situations when the cells of the vestibular apparatus generate impulses for completely different reasons than turning the head. A similar situation can occur with inflammation of the inner ear or with some other pathologies, for example, if too hot or too cold water gets into the ear canal. In such cases, a feeling of nausea and dizziness may occur, up to a loss of orientation in space.
Organ of hearing
The inner ear is responsible for auditory sensations. Sound waves through the oval window fall into the inner ear and cause fluid movement and vibrations of tiny villi. The villi transform the vibrations into impulses that enter the brain via the auditory nerve, and the brain subsequently converts them into auditory images.
The inner ear is responsible for recognizing the frequency through which a person has the ability to distinguish some sounds from others. A complex chain of electromechanical processes of the inner ear involves all its parts, therefore, in order for the hearing to be in order, they must all function normally. If at least one of these mechanisms fails, the hearing is impaired.
Hearing loss is the most common pathology of the inner ear.
Sound in the ear is characterized by features such as amplitude and frequency. Amplitude is the force with which a sound wave exerts pressure on the membrane, the frequency in turn determines the number of vibrations of the sound wave that it makes per second. Loss of ability to distinguish sounds and detect certain frequencies is called hearing loss. Hearing loss can be conductive, sensorineural, and mixed. Sensoneural hearing loss is a violation of the sensitivity of the cochlea, or a decrease in the functions of the auditory nerve. Conductive hearing loss is a violation of the conductivity between the outer and middle ear, and mixed hearing loss is one and the other disorders.