The vestibular membrane, vestibular wall or Reissner's membrane, is a

membrane A membrane is a selective barrier; it allows some things to pass through but stops others. Such things may be molecules, ions, or other small particles. Membranes can be generally classified into synthetic membranes and biological membranes. ...

inside the

cochlea The cochlea is the part of the inner ear involved in hearing. It is a spiral-shaped cavity in the bony labyrinth, in humans making 2.75 turns around its axis, the modiolus. A core component of the cochlea is the Organ of Corti, the sensory o ...

of the

inner ear The inner ear (internal ear, auris interna) is the innermost part of the vertebrate ear. In vertebrates, the inner ear is mainly responsible for sound detection and balance. In mammals, it consists of the bony labyrinth, a hollow cavity in th ...

. It separates the

cochlear duct The cochlear duct (bounded by the scala media) is an endolymph filled cavity inside the cochlea, located between the tympanic duct and the vestibular duct, separated by the basilar membrane and the vestibular membrane (Reissner's membrane) resp ...

from the vestibular duct. It helps to transmit vibrations from fluid in the vestibular duct to the cochlear duct. Together with the

basilar membrane The basilar membrane is a stiff structural element within the cochlea of the inner ear which separates two liquid-filled tubes that run along the coil of the cochlea, the scala media and the scala tympani. The basilar membrane moves up and down ...

, it creates a compartment in the cochlea filled with endolymph, which is important for the function of the spiral

organ of Corti The organ of Corti, or spiral organ, is the receptor organ for hearing and is located in the mammalian cochlea. This highly varied strip of epithelial cells allows for transduction of auditory signals into nerve impulses' action potential. Trans ...

. It allows nutrients to travel from the

perilymph Perilymph is an extracellular fluid located within the inner ear. It is found within the scala tympani and scala vestibuli of the cochlea. The ionic composition of perilymph is comparable to that of plasma and cerebrospinal fluid. The major ...

to the endolymph of the membranous labyrinth. It may be damaged in

Ménière's disease Ménière's disease (MD) is a disease of the inner ear that is characterized by potentially severe and incapacitating episodes of vertigo, tinnitus, hearing loss, and a feeling of fullness in the ear. Typically, only one ear is affected initi ...

. It is named after the German

anatomist Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having it ...

Ernst Reissner Ernst Reissner (; 24 September 1824 – 16 September 1878) was a Baltic German anatomist from Riga, Livonia. In 1851 he received his medical degree at the University of Dorpat (now known as the University of Tartu), and in 1855 became a profes ...

Structure

The vestibular membrane separates the

(scala media) from the vestibular duct (scala vestibuli).

Microanatomy

Histologically Histology, also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology which studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at larger structures vis ...

, the membrane is composed of two layers of flattened

epithelium Epithelium or epithelial tissue is one of the four basic types of animal tissue, along with connective tissue, muscle tissue and nervous tissue. It is a thin, continuous, protective layer of compactly packed cells with a little intercellul ...

. These are separated by a

basal lamina The basal lamina is a layer of extracellular matrix secreted by the epithelial cells, on which the epithelium sits. It is often incorrectly referred to as the basement membrane, though it does constitute a portion of the basement membrane. The bas ...

. Its structure suggests that its function is transport of fluid and electrolytes.

Function

The vestibular membrane helps to transmit vibrations from fluid in the vestibular duct to the

. Together with the

, the vestibular membrane creates a compartment in the cochlea filled with endolymph. This is important for the function of the spiral

. It primarily functions as a

diffusion Diffusion is the net movement of anything (for example, atoms, ions, molecules, energy) generally from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration. Diffusion is driven by a gradient in Gibbs free energy or chemical ...

barrier, allowing nutrients to travel from the

to the endolymph of the membranous labyrinth.

Clinical significance

The vestibular membrane may be ruptured by an increase in the pressure of endolymph in the cochlear duct. This may occur in

History

The vestibular membrane is also known as Reissner's membrane. This alternative name is named after German

(1824-1878).

Additional images

File:Gray929.png, Floor of cochlear duct. File:Gray930.png, Spiral limbus and basilar membrane.

References

External links

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Overview
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University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

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University of New England, Maine The University of New England (UNE) is a private research university in Maine with campuses in Portland and Biddeford, as well as a study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco. During the 2020 academic year, 7,208 students were enrolled in UNE's ...

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