Which statement about auditory transduction is accurate?

Which statement about auditory transduction is accurate?

• A. Sound transduction occurs in the tympanic membrane.
• B. Sound transduction occurs within the cochlear region of the inner ear.
• C. Sound transduction occurs in the eardrum's external surface.
• D. Sound transduction occurs in the auditory cortex directly from air vibrations.

Answer: (B)

Sound transduction is the process of converting mechanical energy into neural signals, and it happens in the cochlea of the inner ear. When sound waves cause the tympanic membrane and the middle-ear bones to move, this mechanical energy is transmitted into the fluid of the cochlea via the oval window. The resulting movement of the basilar membrane bends the hair cell stereocilia in the organ of Corti. This bending opens mechanically gated ion channels, letting ions flow in and creating receptor potentials; hair cells release neurotransmitter onto auditory nerve fibers, generating neural signals that travel to the brain. Inner hair cells mainly carry the actual sound information, while outer hair cells help tune sensitivity and frequency analysis. The auditory cortex later processes these signals, but the initial energy-to-neural conversion occurs in the cochlea.

Sound transduction is the process of converting mechanical energy into neural signals, and it happens in the cochlea of the inner ear. When sound waves cause the tympanic membrane and the middle-ear bones to move, this mechanical energy is transmitted into the fluid of the cochlea via the oval window. The resulting movement of the basilar membrane bends the hair cell stereocilia in the organ of Corti. This bending opens mechanically gated ion channels, letting ions flow in and creating receptor potentials; hair cells release neurotransmitter onto auditory nerve fibers, generating neural signals that travel to the brain. Inner hair cells mainly carry the actual sound information, while outer hair cells help tune sensitivity and frequency analysis. The auditory cortex later processes these signals, but the initial energy-to-neural conversion occurs in the cochlea.