Kuulmekäigus

Kuulmekäigus refers to the auditory pathway, the chain of structures in the body that transmit sound from the external environment to the brain for interpretation. This process begins with sound waves entering the outer ear, specifically the auricle (pinna), which collects and directs them into the ear canal. The sound waves then strike the eardrum, causing it to vibrate.

These vibrations are transferred to the three small bones in the middle ear: the malleus, incus, and stapes. The stapes, in turn, transmits these vibrations to the oval window, an opening into the cochlea, which is part of the inner ear. The cochlea is a fluid-filled, snail-shaped organ containing thousands of tiny hair cells.

Within the cochlea, the vibrations cause the fluid to move, stimulating the hair cells. These hair cells convert the mechanical vibrations into electrical signals. These electrical signals are then transmitted along the auditory nerve to the brainstem. From the brainstem, the signals travel through various relay stations, including the inferior colliculus and medial geniculate nucleus of the thalamus, before reaching the auditory cortex in the temporal lobe of the brain. It is in the auditory cortex that these electrical signals are processed and perceived as sound. Any disruption at any point along this complex pathway can lead to hearing impairment.