RESEARCH ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF PRESSURE FIELD ON THE BASILAR MEMBRANE IN THE PASSIVE SPIRAL COCHLEA

Abstract

The cochlea is the important auditory organ of the inner ear. It is responsible for transforming the acoustic signals into neural impulses that travel along the auditory nerve to the brain. The role of, perhaps, the most characteristic feature of the cochlea, its three-dimensional (3D) helical structure, has remained elusive. To address this problem, the present paper develops a 3D spiral cochlea mathematical model using orthogonal coordinate system. Based on the method of separation of variables and conformal transformation, equations of three cases for the velocity potential are derived to solve the steady flow problem of lymph in the cochlea. Then, the distribution of pressure field on the basilar membrane (BM) is obtained. By comparing the analytical results with FE analyses results, the derived formulas are demonstrated to be accurate and reliable. The conclusion can be drawn that the spiral shape and physical dimension of the cochlea have a significant influence on the distribution of pressure field. Interestingly, near the helicotrema, the velocity potential of the first case plays a leading role in pressure distribution on the BM. Therefore, it may enhance the vibration of BM and improve hearing ability in the low-frequency parts of human ears. The proposed model could provide an approach for further investigation of fluid-structure interaction problem in the cochlea.