Final answer:
The spiral organ, or organ of Corti, is located in the cochlear duct of the cochlea, positioned on the basilar membrane. It is responsible for transducing sound waves into neural signals that the brain interprets as sound.
Step-by-step explanation:
The spiral organ, also known as the organ of Corti, is located within the cochlea. Specifically, it resides in the cochlear duct, resting on top of the basilar membrane, situated between the scala tympani and the scala vestibuli. The organ of Corti is essential for hearing as it contains the hair cells which transduce sound vibrations into electrical signals. These signals are then sent to the brain for interpretation. The cochlea itself is part of the inner ear and plays a crucial role in the process of hearing, converting sound waves that enter the ear into neural signals that the brain can understand.
The cochlea, a small spiral-shaped tube, is where the fluid waves, resulting from sound vibrations, activate different regions of the basilar membrane based on frequency. High-frequency waves affect the basilar membrane near the base of the cochlea, while low-frequency waves have an impact near the tip. These movements of the basilar membrane against the hair cells in the organ of Corti generate the neural signals that constitute our sense of hearing.