EAR ANATOMY

GOOD MORNING

EXTERNAL EAR

MUSCLES OF THE AURICLE

rudimentary muscles

EXTERNAL AUDITORY CANAL

THIN SKIN
one of the thinnest part of the skin and
easily traumatized

ELASTIC CARTILAGE
specialized - goes back
to original shape

gets it nutrients from the thin

skin by direct indivision

BLOOD SUPPLY
Posterior auricular artery
Superficial temporal artery
accompanying veins drain into external jugular,
common facial and internal jugular.

SENSORY NERVE SUPPLY AURICLE

and
MEATUS
TRIGEMINAL nerve sensation
auriculo temporal nerve
FACIAL nerve and chorda
tympani tensing the ear drum
VAGUS nerve pain and sensation
auricular branch of the vagus
THIRD CERVICAL nerve ( C-3) sensation
greater auricular and
lesser occipital

TYMPANIC MEMBRANE

Meatus and TM with nerve supply

REFFERED PAIN
referred otalgia - due
to short circuiting of
shared innervations
from v2, x, ix

MIDDLE EAR

ear drum and ossicles - converts

sound energy to mechanical energy
tympanic membrane, having a greater
surface area, amplifies the energy
towards the stapes

MALLEUS

INCUS

STAPES

MIDDLE EAR

MIDDLE EAR

TEMPORAL BONE

EUSTACHIAN TUBE

responsible in maintaining the health of middle ear

these open and

close the
eustachian
tube

EUSTACHIAN TUBE

RESPIRATORY EPITHELIUM
lines middle ear - secretes mucous

MIDDLE EAR

INNER EAR

BLOOD SUPPLY

MEMBRANOUS LABYRINTH

MODIOLUS

COCHLEA

ORGAN OF CORTI

ORGAN OF CORTI

PATHWAY OF HEARING

Base to Apex of Cochlea Basilar Membrane becomes

Progressively Thicker

Modiolus

Rosenthals Canal

Spiral Ganglion -

- Bony center of
the Cochlear Spiral

- Canal
within the Modiolus where the
Spiral Ganglion is located

Aggregates to form the

Afferent Fibers of CN VIII

(Cochlear Division)

PATHWAY OF HEARING

The Neuroanatomy of Hearing:

(Overview: Distal to Rostral)
Ascending Pathway
Spiral Ganglion (Within
Rosenthals Canal)

Cochlear Nerve
Cochlear Nuclei (3 Acoustic

Striae)

Lateral Lemniscus
Inferior Colliculus
Medial Geniculate Body

Auditory Radiation

Auditory Cortex (Transverse

(Thalamus)

(Geniculocortical Fibers)
Temporal Gyri of Heschl)

LABYRINTHINE ANATOMY

Inner Ear

The different parts of the inner ear

are supplied with blood through the
labyrinyhine artery (that forms 3
branches in the inner ear) which
originates from the basilar artery
in the base of the skull.

3 branches:
common cochlear artery
supplies blood to most of the
cochlea.

anterior vestibular artery

supplies the semicircular canals

and part of the vestibule.
Cochleo-vestibular artery
supplies the remainder of the
inner ear.

THE VESTIBULAR SYSTEM CAN BE DIVIDED INTO

FIVE COMPONENTS:
1. PERIPHERAL RECEPTOR APPARATUS resides in the inner ear and is
responsible for transducing head motion and position into neural
information.
2. CENTRAL VESTIBULAR NUCLEI comprise a set of neurons in the
brainstem that are responsible for receiving, integrating, and
distributing information that controls motor activities such as eye
and head movements, postural reflexes, and gravity-dependent
autonomic reflexes and spatial orientation.
3. VESTIBULO-OCULAR NETWORK arises from the vestibular nuclei and
is involved in the control of eye movements.
4. VESTIBULOSPINAL NETWORK coordinates head movements, axial
musculature, and postural reflexes.
5. VESTIBULO-THALAMO-CORTICAL NETWORK is responsible for the
conscious perception of movement and spatial orientation

VESTIBULAR FUNCTION

Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex
Fixation of visual
horizon for spatial
orientation during
rapid head
movements. Allows a
fixated object to stay
within the visual field
Stimuli for the VOR
mainly from SCC

Vestibulospinal Reflex
Maintenance of
posture and
equilibrium. Relies
mainly on interaction
with the proprioceptive
and motor systems

p.274 fig 13.5

PERIPHERAL RECEPTOR
APPARATUS

LABYRINTHINE FUNCTION
utricle - horizontal motion

LABYRINTHINE FUNCTION

SEMI CIRCULAR CANALS

SEMI CIRCULAR CANALS

SEMI CIRCULAR CANALS

pathological specimens

AMPULLA

THANK YOU