Cómo Funciona la Audición
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La audición es compleja y requiere de una serie de acciones y reacciones para funcionar. El proceso implica que muchas partes del oído trabajen juntas para convertir las ondas sonoras en información que el cerebro comprende e interpreta.
Las ondas sonoras ingresan al canal auditivo y viajan hacia nuestros tímpanos.
Las ondas sonoras hacen que vibren el tímpano y los huesos del oído medio.
Pequeñas células ciliadas dentro de la cóclea, el órgano sensorial del oído, convierten estas vibraciones en impulsos eléctricos que son captados por el nervio auditivo.
Al nacer, cada oído típico tiene alrededor de 12.000 células sensoriales, llamadas células ciliadas, que se asientan sobre una membrana que vibra en respuesta al sonido entrante. Cada frecuencia de un sonido complejo hace vibrar al máximo la membrana en una ubicación determinada. Debido a este mecanismo, escuchamos diferentes tonos dentro del sonido. Un sonido más fuerte aumenta la amplitud de la vibración, por eso escuchamos el volumen más alto.
Las señales enviadas al cerebro desde el nervio auditivo se interpretan como sonidos.
Cómo funciona la audición (tiene disponible subtitulado en español)
Una vez que las células ciliadas del oído interno se dañan, se produce una pérdida auditiva neurosensorial permanente.
Actualmente, la pérdida auditiva neurosensorial no se puede restaurar en humanos, pero los investigadores de la HHF están trabajando para comprender mejor los mecanismos de la pérdida auditiva, y así encontrar mejores tratamientos y curas.
Traducción al español realizada por Julio Flores-Alberca, enero 2024. Sepa más aquí.
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