cupula
N F small crooked handle | ||||
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Cúpula Definition from Encyclopedia Dictionaries & Glossaries
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Cupula
The cupula forms the apex of the cochlea. The bony canal of the cochlea takes two and three-quarter turns around the modiolus. It is about 30 mm. in length, and diminishes gradually in diameter from the base to the summit, where it terminates in the cupula.
The cupula is located within the ampullae of each of the three semicircular canals. As fluid rushes by the cupula, hair cells within it sense rotational acceleration, and transmit the corresponding signal to the brain through the vestibular nerve (CN VIII)
In their natural orientation within the head, the cupulae are located on the medial aspect of the semicircular canals. In this orientation, the kinocilia rest on the posterior aspect of the cupula.
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