organ of Corti [Gk, organon; Alfonso Corti, Italian anatomist, 1822–1888] , the true organ of hearing, a spiral structure within the cochlea containing hair cells that are stimulated by sound vibrations. The hair cells convert the vibrations into nerve impulses that are transmitted by the cochlear part of the vestibulocochlear nerve to the brain. Also called spiral organ of Corti. See also basilar membrane.
