Synopses & Reviews
The middle ear plays a vital role in the sense and sensitivity of hearing. Of the various characteristics that distinguish mammals from other vertebrates, several pertain to the middle-ear system such as the presence of three middle-ear bones and the four-layer composite structure of the tympanic membrane. These adaptations co-evolved with the sense organ, specifically the motility of the outer hair cells in the organ of Corti within the cochlea, to endow mammals with a unique capacity for high-frequency hearing. Reptiles, amphibians, and most fish do not hear above 5 kHz, while the upper limit of hearing in birds is 8-12 kHz. Mammals, in contrast, have upper limits of hearing ranging from 10 kHz (elephants) to 90 kHz (wild mouse) and even higher for echolocating animals. It is well established that high-frequency hearing evolved in mammals as a means to localize sound. While a significant number of publications elucidate the role of the cochlea on hearing, a parallel effort to underst
Synopsis
This book explores the middle ear system, describing the function of the middle-ear bones, the structure of the tympanic membrane and the motility of the outer hair cells in the cochlea, which endow mammals with a unique capacity for hearing high-frequencies.
Table of Contents
• The Middle Ear: Science and Applications Sunil Puria • The Evolution and Development of Middle Ears in Land Vertebrates Geoffrey A. Manley and Ulrike J. Sienknecht • Comparative Middle-Ear Structure and Function in Vertebrates John J. Rosowski • Function and Acoustics of the Normal and Diseased Middle Ear Susan E. Voss, Hideko Heidi Nakajima, and Alexander M. Huber • Quasi-Static Pressures in the Middle-Ear Cleft Joris J. J. Dirckx, Yael Marcusohn, and Michael L. Gaihede • Bone Conduction and the Middle Ear Stefan Stenfelt • Modeling of Middle-Ear Mechanics W. Robert J. Funnell, Nima Maftoon, and Willem F. Decraemer • Diagnostic Measurements and Imaging Technologies for the Middle Ear Gerald R. Popelka and Lisa L. Hunter • Surgical Reconstruction and Passive Prostheses Saumil N. Merchant and John J. Rosowski • Middle-Ear Hearing Devices Sunil Puria