Crista ampullaris

Main Point The Crista Ampullaris is a part of the inner ear, specifically it can be found in the semicircular canal. The function of the cristae ampularis is to sense angular acceleration and deceleration.

Background The inner ear is comprised of 2 specialized regions of the membranous labyrinth: the saccule and the utricle. The saccule gives rise to the cholear duct, which is involved in the special sense "Hearing". The utricle gives rise to the semicircular canals, which is involved in "equilibrium/balance." The receptor cells located in the semicircular canal are innervated by cranial nerve 8 aka vestibulocochlear nerve (more specifically the vestibule portion).

This information was obtained via a histology medical school lecture in 2006, and is provided by ShareNotes College Lecture Notes