inner ear

n. Third division of the ear (external or outer ear, middle ear, and inner or internal ear). The inner ear is really composed by two different organs: the cochlea (audition) and the vestibular organ or labyrinth, including the semicircular canals and the vestibule (balance). The cochlea includes the organ of Corti, containing the auditory receptors. The inner ear transmits information to the brain by cranial nerve VIII (vestibulocochlear or auditory nerve), which has two different branches: a cochlear branch (hearing information) and a vestibular branch (semicircular canals and the vestibule).

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