The next time someone whispers in your ear, think "cochlea." The cochlea is the marvelous structure in the inner ear that is shaped like a snail shell and transforms sounds into the nerve impulses ...

Most cochlear nerves carry information from the cochlea to the brain, but about 5% send signals in the opposite direction: from the brain to the cochlea. The exact role of those fibers has been a ...

Frequency tuning in the cochlea is determined by the passive mechanical properties of the basilar membrane and active feedback from the outer hair cells, sensory-effector cells that detect and amplify ...

Medically reviewed by William Truswell, MD Key Takeaways The cochlear nerve is part of the eighth cranial nerve and is ...