Question

The organ of Corti contains receptors that signal in response to ______________. a. heat b. sound c. light d. pheromones

Short answer

The organ of Corti contains receptors that signal in response to sound.

Step-by-step solution

Identify the Question

The exercise asks us to determine what the organ of Corti responds to by indicating its receptors' function. We need to fill in the blank with one of the options: heat, sound, light, or pheromones.

Understanding the Organ of Corti

The organ of Corti is a part of the inner ear structure known prominently for its role in hearing. It contains hair cells that are sensory receptors.

Link the Function to the Question

Since the organ of Corti is related to hearing, its sensory receptors respond to sound vibrations and convert them into neural signals.

Choose the Correct Answer

Given that the organ of Corti responds to sound vibrations, we select 'sound' as the correct choice to fill in the blank.

Key concepts

The Inner Ear

The inner ear is a complex and essential component of our auditory system, specifically designed for hearing and balance. Unlike the outer and middle ear, which are involved in the initial capture and transmission of sound waves, the inner ear has the intricate job of translating sound vibrations into signals that our brain can understand. Within the inner ear, we find the cochlea, a spiral-shaped organ that is crucial for hearing. Inside the cochlea is the organ of Corti, which is the primary sensory organ for hearing. The inner ear is not just about hearing, though. It also plays a pivotal role in maintaining balance and spatial orientation through structures like the semicircular canals and the vestibule. It's essential to remember that the inner ear is filled with fluid, which helps transduce sound waves into the electrical signals that the brain interprets as sound. This fluid environment is crucial for how we perceive both pitch and volume.

Sensory Receptors

Sensory receptors are specialized cells that detect stimuli and convert them into electrochemical signals for the brain to process. In the context of hearing, the organ of Corti in the inner ear is home to these special receptors. The organ of Corti contains thousands of sensory cells known as hair cells. These hair cells have tiny hair-like projections called stereocilia. When sound waves enter the ear and create vibrations, these vibrations move through the fluid of the cochlea and cause the stereocilia to deflect.

• Inner hair cells: Primarily responsible for sending information about sound to the brain, these cells detect the mechanical vibrations and transform them into electrical signals.
• Outer hair cells: They play a role in amplifying sound and fine-tuning the analysis of frequency details.

These processes are foundational to understanding how we hear and process different sounds in our environment.

The Hearing Process

The hearing process is an amazing transformation of physical sound waves into the wonders of sound as perceived by our brain. It starts with sound waves entering the ear canal, striking the eardrum, and causing it to vibrate. The vibrations from the eardrum are transferred through the ossicles, which are tiny bones in the middle ear. From there, these vibrations reach the cochlea in the inner ear, where the organ of Corti resides. This is where the magic happens - the organ of Corti converts these mechanical vibrations into neural signals.

• Mechanical Movement: Sound waves travel through the ear canal and hit the eardrum, causing it to move.
• Transmission: The ossicles (malleus, incus, stapes) further carry these vibrations to the cochlea.
• Conversion: The hair cells in the organ of Corti detect these vibrations, triggering neural impulses.
• Perception: These neural signals are transmitted via the auditory nerve to the brain, where they are interpreted as sound.

This sequential process is what allows us to perceive a wide range of sounds from a gentle whisper to a loud explosion.