The sound waves spread through the air and reach the outer ear, into which they penetrate through the ear canal. In doing so, they stimulate the eardrum, which closes the inner end of the duct. By vibrating this membrane, the vibration of a chain of ossicles located in the middle ear is induced. These ossicles transmit their vibration to the oval window, which is a membranous structure that communicates the middle ear with the cochlea of the inner ear. When the oval membrane moves, it moves the liquid (perilymph) that fills one of the three cavities of the cochlea generating waves in it. These waves mechanically stimulate the sensory cells (hair cells) located in the organ of Corti, within the cochlea in the central cavity, the middle ramp. This cavity is filled with a liquid rich in K +, endolymph. The cells embedded in the endolymph, change their permeability to K + due to the movement of the cilia and respond by releasing a neurotransmitter that excites the nerve terminals, which initiate the auditory sensory pathway.
