Cochlea

The spiral-shaped chamber within the inner ear. The conversion of the mechanical energy of a sound into electrochemical energy for transmission to the brain is performed in the cochlea by the basilar membrane and the organ of Corti.

See: Hearing Loss, Semicircular Canals, Sensory-Neural Hearing Loss, Vestibule, Volley Theory. Compare: Transducer.

A sectional view of the cochlea (after S. Stevens, Sound and Hearing, p. 42). Arrows show the direction of the cochlear fluid. The organ of Corti area, circled in the cochlea diagram, is enlarged below to show the detail of the hair cells.