The<unk>  (also known as the stapedius<unk> , stapedial<unk> , auditory<unk> , middle-ear-muscle<unk>  (MEM<unk> , MEMR), attenuation<unk> , cochleostapedial<unk>  or intra-aural<unk>  is an involuntary muscle contraction that occurs in the middle ear in response to loud sound stimuli or when the person starts to vocalize. When presented with an intense sound stimulus, the stapedius and tensor tympani muscles of the ossicles contract. The stapedius stiffens the ossicular chain by pulling the stapes (stirrup) of the middle ear away from the oval window of the cochlea and the tensor tympani muscle stiffens the ossicular chain by loading the tympanic membrane when it pulls the malleus (hammer) in toward the middle ear. The<unk>  decreases the transmission of vibrational energy to the cochlea, where it is converted into electrical impulses to be processed by the brain.
Acoustic reflex
Pharyngeal reflex
Tonic labyrinthine reflex
Vestibulo–ocular reflex
Oculocardiac reflex
Snout reflex
Arousal
Primitive reflexes