The cochlea is the snail-shaped hearing organ of the inner ear, a bony tube coiled about two and a half turns around a central core, the modiolus. Inside it, two membranes divide it into three fluid-filled channels: the scala vestibuli, cochlear duct and scala tympani. The organ of Corti sits on the basilar membrane in the cochlear duct.
| Location | Anterior part of the bony labyrinth in the petrous temporal bone, in front of the vestibule |
|---|---|
| Parts | |
| Nerve Supply | Cochlear nerve (CN VIII) |
| Blood Supply | Cochlear branches of the labyrinthine artery |
Converts sound vibrations into nerve signals and separates them by frequency along its length.
The cochlea is tonotopic: high frequencies are detected at the base and low frequencies at the apex, which is why noise and age first affect high-pitched hearing. Cochlear implants bypass damaged hair cells by stimulating the auditory nerve directly. Otoacoustic emissions, produced by outer hair cells, are used to screen newborn hearing.
Gradual, age-related high-frequency hearing loss from cochlear hair cell and nerve loss, making speech in noise hard to follow.
Cochlear damage from loud noise exposure, typically with a dip around 4 kHz on the audiogram and tinnitus.
Rapid hearing loss in one ear over hours to days, often from unknown cochlear injury, needing urgent assessment and steroid treatment.
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