Inner ear Artwork of a healthy human inner ear the fluidfilled passages of the membranous labyr inth associated with hearing and balance The snail shelllike cochlea centre right converts sound vibrations into nerve impulses The organ of balance comprises three semicircular canals blue loops centre left and the saccule and utricle blue ovals centre Each canal detects movement in a different direction due to the pressure chan ges caused by the motion of their fluid The utri cle larger and saccule respond to gravity giv ing the position of the head Nerve impulses from the inner ear pass to the brain along the auditory vestibulocochlear nerve yellow centre right