Mammalian middle ear mechanics: A review
The middle ear is part of the ear in all terrestrial vertebrates. It provides an interface between two media, air and fluid. How does it work? In mammals, the middle ear is traditionally described as increasing gain due to Helmholtz’s hydraulic analogy and the lever action of the malleus-incus compl...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2022.983510/full |
| _version_ | 1817979332907237376 |
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| author | Maialen Ugarteburu Robert H. Withnell Luis Cardoso Alessandra Carriero Claus-Peter Richter Claus-Peter Richter Claus-Peter Richter Claus-Peter Richter |
| author_facet | Maialen Ugarteburu Robert H. Withnell Luis Cardoso Alessandra Carriero Claus-Peter Richter Claus-Peter Richter Claus-Peter Richter Claus-Peter Richter |
| author_sort | Maialen Ugarteburu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The middle ear is part of the ear in all terrestrial vertebrates. It provides an interface between two media, air and fluid. How does it work? In mammals, the middle ear is traditionally described as increasing gain due to Helmholtz’s hydraulic analogy and the lever action of the malleus-incus complex: in effect, an impedance transformer. The conical shape of the eardrum and a frequency-dependent synovial joint function for the ossicles suggest a greater complexity of function than the traditional view. Here we review acoustico-mechanical measurements of middle ear function and the development of middle ear models based on these measurements. We observe that an impedance-matching mechanism (reducing reflection) rather than an impedance transformer (providing gain) best explains experimental findings. We conclude by considering some outstanding questions about middle ear function, recognizing that we are still learning how the middle ear works. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T22:41:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0916c9996aba47dbbc39c8951034b813 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-4185 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T22:41:31Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology |
| spelling | doaj.art-0916c9996aba47dbbc39c8951034b8132022-12-22T02:26:36ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology2296-41852022-10-011010.3389/fbioe.2022.983510983510Mammalian middle ear mechanics: A reviewMaialen Ugarteburu0Robert H. Withnell1Luis Cardoso2Alessandra Carriero3Claus-Peter Richter4Claus-Peter Richter5Claus-Peter Richter6Claus-Peter Richter7Department of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York, New York, NY, United StatesDepartment of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United StatesDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York, New York, NY, United StatesDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York, New York, NY, United StatesDepartment of Otolaryngology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United StatesDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United StatesDepartment of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United StatesThe Hugh Knowles Center, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United StatesThe middle ear is part of the ear in all terrestrial vertebrates. It provides an interface between two media, air and fluid. How does it work? In mammals, the middle ear is traditionally described as increasing gain due to Helmholtz’s hydraulic analogy and the lever action of the malleus-incus complex: in effect, an impedance transformer. The conical shape of the eardrum and a frequency-dependent synovial joint function for the ossicles suggest a greater complexity of function than the traditional view. Here we review acoustico-mechanical measurements of middle ear function and the development of middle ear models based on these measurements. We observe that an impedance-matching mechanism (reducing reflection) rather than an impedance transformer (providing gain) best explains experimental findings. We conclude by considering some outstanding questions about middle ear function, recognizing that we are still learning how the middle ear works.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2022.983510/fullmiddle eareardrumossiclesligamentsmusclessynovial joints |
| spellingShingle | Maialen Ugarteburu Robert H. Withnell Luis Cardoso Alessandra Carriero Claus-Peter Richter Claus-Peter Richter Claus-Peter Richter Claus-Peter Richter Mammalian middle ear mechanics: A review Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology middle ear eardrum ossicles ligaments muscles synovial joints |
| title | Mammalian middle ear mechanics: A review |
| title_full | Mammalian middle ear mechanics: A review |
| title_fullStr | Mammalian middle ear mechanics: A review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mammalian middle ear mechanics: A review |
| title_short | Mammalian middle ear mechanics: A review |
| title_sort | mammalian middle ear mechanics a review |
| topic | middle ear eardrum ossicles ligaments muscles synovial joints |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2022.983510/full |
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