Cochlea

The **cochlea** is a spiral-shaped, conically coiled chamber of bone within the inner ear, housed in the temporal bone of the skull[1][7]. It contains three main fluid-filled chambers: **scala vestibuli**, **scala media (cochlear duct)**, and **scala tympani**[1][3][5][7]. Vibrations from sound waves are transmitted via the middle ear ossicles to the *oval window*, inducing waves in the cochlear fluids. These movements set the *basilar membrane* into motion, activating the **organ of Corti**—the specialized sensory epithelium containing rows of **hair cells**. These hair cells transform mechanical energy from sound into electrochemical impulses, which are carried via the auditory nerve to the brain for processing into the sensation of hearing[1][3][5][7]. **Important clarification:** - The cochlea itself is an anatomical structure and not a discrete protein, gene, receptor, enzyme, or molecular therapeutic target. As such, it does not have canonical molecular aliases, interact with drugs directly (though gene therapy or drugs may target cells or structures within the cochlea), or have molecular safety concerns. In hearing research, specific molecules within the cochlea (such as ion channels or structures like the organ of Corti and hair cells) **do** serve as therapeutic targets, but "cochlea" as a term refers only to the organ as a whole[1][2][6][7]. **Summary:** "Cochlea" is an anatomical term for a key structure in hearing and not a molecular or receptor target. The correct entity for molecular targeting would be specific cochlear proteins, ion channels, or cell types (e.g., cochlear hair cell potassium channels), not the organ itself.

Other names

Cochleae (plural)Inner ear cochleaCochlear labyrinth