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Hearing is complex, requiring a series of actions and reactions to work. The process involves many parts of the ear working together to convert sound waves into information the brain understands and interprets.
Sound waves enter the ear canal and travel toward our eardrums.
The sound waves cause the eardrum and bones in the middle ear to vibrate.
Tiny hair cells inside the cochlea, the sensory organ of the ear, convert these vibrations into electric impulses that are picked up by the auditory nerve.
At birth, each typical ear has about 12,000 sensory cells, called hair cells, which sit on a membrane that vibrates in response to incoming sound. Each frequency of a complex sound maximally vibrates the membrane at one location. Because of this mechanism, we hear different pitches within the sound. A louder sound increases the amplitude of the vibration, so we hear loudness.
Signals sent to the brain from auditory nerve are then interpreted as sounds.
Once the hair cells in the inner ear are damaged, permanent sensorineural hearing loss occurs.
Currently, sensorineural hearing loss cannot be restored in humans, but HHF’s researchers are working to better understand the mechanisms of hearing loss to find better treatments and cures.
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My area of study is auditory neuroscience, and I’m especially passionate about how neuroscience can reveal the underlying mechanisms behind why hearing outcomes vary so much from person to person.