The membranous labyrinth is a collection of fluid filled tubes and chambers which contain the receptors for the senses of equilibrium and hearing. It is lodged within the bony labyrinth in 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 ...

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 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 ...

. In certain places, it is fixed to the walls of the cavity. The membranous labyrinth contains fluid called endolymph. The walls of the membranous labyrinth are lined with distributions of the

cochlear nerve The cochlear nerve (also auditory nerve or acoustic nerve) is one of two parts of the vestibulocochlear nerve, a cranial nerve present in amniotes, the other part being the vestibular nerve. The cochlear nerve carries auditory sensory information ...

, one of the two branches of the vestibulocochlear nerve. The other branch is the vestibular nerve. Within the

vestibule Vestibule or Vestibulum can have the following meanings, each primarily based upon a common origin, from early 17th century French, derived from Latin ''vestibulum, -i n.'' "entrance court". Anatomy In general, vestibule is a small space or cavity ...

, the membranous labyrinth does not quite preserve the form of the bony labyrinth, but consists of two membranous sacs, the utricle, and the

saccule The saccule is a bed of sensory cells in the inner ear. It translates head movements into neural impulses for the brain to interpret. The saccule detects linear accelerations and head tilts in the vertical plane. When the head moves verticall ...

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

References

{{Authority control Ear Auditory system