The cochlea, which looks like a snail shell, located in the inner ear, The pressure of vibrations reaches the cochlea from the middle ear, the hair receptors are then stimulated, and then the ear converts the energy of pressure waves into nerve impulses. Sensory neurons send nerve impulses to the cerebrum, a part of your brain, through the auditory nerves-- the cochlea's function is basically transforming sound into a neural message that a person's brain can understand and ultimately causes one to hear sounds.