Reissner's membrane is a membrane

Diaphragm (acoustics)

In the field of acoustics, a diaphragm is a transducer intended to faithfully inter-convert mechanical motion and sound. It is commonly constructed of a thin membrane or sheet of various materials. The varying air pressure of the sound waves imparts vibrations onto the diaphragm which can then be...

 inside the cochlea

Cochlea

The cochlea is the auditory portion of the inner ear. It is a spiral-shaped cavity in the bony labyrinth, making 2.5 turns around its axis, the modiolus....

 of the inner ear

Inner ear

The inner ear is the innermost part of the vertebrate ear. In mammals, it consists of the bony labyrinth, a hollow cavity in the temporal bone of the skull with a system of passages comprising two main functional parts:...

. It separates scala media

Scala media

The cochlear duct is an endolymph filled cavity inside the cochlea, located in between the scala tympani and the scala vestibuli, separated by the basilar membrane and Reissner's membrane respectively....

 from scala vestibuli

Scala vestibuli

Scala vestibuli is a perilymph-filled cavity inside the cochlea of the inner ear that conducts sound vibrations to the scala media.It is separated from the scala media by Reissner's membrane and extends from the vestibule of the ear to the helicotrema where it joins scala tympani.-External links:* ...

. Together with the basilar membrane

Basilar membrane

The basilar membrane within the cochlea of the inner ear is a stiff structural element that separates two liquid-filled tubes that run along the coil of the cochlea, the scala media and the scala tympani .-Function:...

 it creates a compartment in the cochlea filled with endolymph

Endolymph

Endolymph is the fluid contained in the membranous labyrinth of the inner ear. It is also called Scarpa's fluid, after Antonio Scarpa.-Composition:...

, which is important for the function of the organ of Corti

Organ of Corti

The organ of Corti is the organ in the inner ear of mammals that contains auditory sensory cells, or "hair cells."The organ was named after the Italian anatomist Marquis Alfonso Giacomo Gaspare Corti , who conducted microscopic research of the mammaliean auditory system.-Structure and function:The...

. It primarily functions as a diffusion

Diffusion

Molecular diffusion, often called simply diffusion, is the thermal motion of all particles at temperatures above absolute zero. The rate of this movement is a function of temperature, viscosity of the fluid and the size of the particles...

 barrier, allowing nutrients to travel from the perilymph

Perilymph

Perilymph is an extracellular fluid located within the cochlea in two of its three compartments: the scala tympani and scala vestibuli. The ionic composition of perilymph is comparable to that of plasma and cerebrospinal fluid...

 to the endolymph

Endolymph

Endolymph is the fluid contained in the membranous labyrinth of the inner ear. It is also called Scarpa's fluid, after Antonio Scarpa.-Composition:...

 of the membranous labyrinth

Membranous labyrinth

The receptors for the senses of equilibrium and hearing are housed within a collection of fluid filled tubes and chambers known as the membranous labyrinth...

.

Histologically, the membrane is composed of two layers of flattened epithelium

Epithelium

Epithelium is one of the four basic types of animal tissue, along with connective tissue, muscle tissue and nervous tissue. Epithelial tissues line the cavities and surfaces of structures throughout the body, and also form many glands. Functions of epithelial cells include secretion, selective...

, separated by a basal lamina

Basal lamina

The basal lamina is a layer of extracellular matrix secreted by the epithelial cells, on which the epithelium sits. It is often confused with the basement membrane, and sometimes used inconsistently in the literature, see below....

. Its structure suggests that its function is transport of fluid and electrolytes.

Reissner's membrane is named after German anatomist Ernst Reissner

Ernst Reissner

Ernst Reissner was a Baltic German anatomist from Riga, Livonia. In 1851 he received his medical degree at the University of Dorpat , and in 1855 became a professor of anatomy at Dorpat...

 (1824-1878).

External links

• Overview at University of Wisconsin–Madison
  University of Wisconsin–Madison
  The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
  
  
• Image at University of New England, Maine
  University of New England, Maine
  The University of New England is an independent, coeducational university with two campuses in Maine: the main campus in Biddeford and another in Portland.- History :...