Basilar membrane

The basilar membrane is a flexible strip inside the cochlea that supports the organ of Corti and vibrates at different locations according to sound frequency.

Cochlear traveling wave: A wave of mechanical displacement that travels along the cochlear partition in response to sound. The wave moves along the basilar membrane and peaks where its frequency is best detected.
Cochlea: The spiral-shaped inner-ear organ that converts sound vibrations into neural signals. The basilar membrane runs through the cochlea and forms part of its hearing apparatus.
Auditory filter: A model of the frequency-selective response of the auditory system to sound. The membrane’s localized vibration is a physical basis for cochlear frequency filtering.
Fourier analysis: A mathematical method that represents a signal as a sum of sinusoidal components. It decomposes sound mathematically, while the membrane separates frequencies through physical vibration.
Tonotopy: The systematic arrangement of sound-frequency sensitivity by location in an auditory structure. Different positions along the membrane respond most strongly to different frequencies.
Cochlear partition: The mechanically coupled tissues separating the fluid spaces of the cochlea. The basilar membrane is a key structural element of this moving partition.
Critical band: A frequency range within which nearby sounds interact strongly in auditory perception. Overlapping membrane responses help determine how the cochlea separates nearby tones.
Place theory of hearing: The account that pitch depends on which location along the cochlea is most strongly stimulated. The membrane’s frequency-dependent vibration pattern supplies the anatomical basis for place coding.
Organ of Corti: The sensory epithelium in the cochlea containing hair cells that convert mechanical motion into neural signals. It rests on the membrane, so membrane motion bends its hair-cell bundles.
Scala tympani: The lower fluid-filled chamber of the cochlea, extending from the helicotrema to the round window. Pressure waves in this chamber help drive motion of the cochlear partition.

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