Membranous labyrinth

Membranous labyrinth
Membranous labyrinth
Gray924.png
The membranous labyrinth.
Latin labyrinthus membranaceus
Gray's subject #232 1051
Artery labyrinthine artery

The receptors for the senses of equilibrium and hearing are housed within a collection of fluid filled tubes and chambers known as the membranous labyrinth. The membranous labyrinth is lodged within the bony labyrinth and has the same general form; it is, however, considerably smaller and is partly separated from the bony walls by a quantity of fluid, the perilymph.

In certain places, it is fixed to the walls of the cavity.

The membranous labyrinth contains fluid, the endolymph, and on its walls the ramifications of the acoustic nerve are distributed.

Within the osseous vestibule, the membranous labyrinth does not quite preserve the form of the bony cavity, but consists of two membranous sacs, the utricle, and the saccule.

The membranous labyrinth is also the location for the receptor cells found in the inner ear.

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.