Which sensory receptors are responsible for hearing
The sensory receptors responsible for hearing are called hair cells, specifically, the ones found in the cochlea of the inner ear. These hair cells convert sound vibrations into electrical signals that can be interpreted by the brain as sound.
To understand how these hair cells work, it's helpful to have a basic understanding of the anatomy of the ear.
1. Sound waves enter the ear through the outer ear and travel through the ear canal.
2. The sound waves then reach the middle ear where they cause the eardrum to vibrate.
3. These vibrations are transmitted to the three small bones in the middle ear called the ossicles (malleus, incus, and stapes).
4. The ossicles amplify and transmit the vibrations to the oval window, which is a membrane that separates the middle ear from the fluid-filled cochlea in the inner ear.
5. The vibrations cause the fluid in the cochlea to move, which then leads to the displacement of tiny hair-like structures called hair cells.
The hair cells are the actual sensory receptors for hearing. They are located on the basilar membrane in the cochlea. As the fluid in the cochlea moves, it causes the hair cells to bend. This bending stimulates the hair cells to send electrical signals to the auditory nerve, which then carries the signals to the brain for processing and interpretation as sound.
In summary, the sensory receptors responsible for hearing are the hair cells located in the cochlea of the inner ear. They convert sound vibrations into electrical signals, which are then transmitted to the brain for interpretation.