15b. Inner Ear, Hearing, Vestibular Function Flashcards
What is presbycusis?
Age-related bilateral hearing impairment
Unable to hear frequencies below 1500 Hz
What are the risk factors for presbycusis?
Noise exposure Ototoxins Infections Smoking, hypertension, vascular disease, diabetes Immunological disorders Genetics (mtDNA)
What is sensorineural presbycusis?
Degeneration of the cilia on hair cells of organ of Corti or loss of cochlear nerve fibres
What is conductive presbycusis?
Stiffening of the basilar membrane of the cochlea or ossicles
What is metabolic presbycusis?
Atrophy of the stria vascularis
Loss of resting potential of endolymph
What is the treatment for presbycusis?
Ear protection, avoid loud noises
Assistive devices
Lip reading
Amplification devices and cochlear implants
What is the function of hearing aids?
Amplify waves in the outer ear and auditory canal
What are the parts of a hearing aid?
Microphone, amplifier, speaker
What is the use of both a hearing aid and a cochlear implant called?
Electric Acoustic Stimulation
What is the function of a cochlear implant?
Capture and convert sound to electrical signals
Goes to electrode array in cochlea via a stimulator
What type of energy does the vestibular system rely on?
Hydraulic
What is the name of the sensory epithelium of the ampulla of the semi-circular canals?
Crista ampullaris
What does the crista ampullaris detect?
Angular acceleration (rotation)
What are the utricle and saccule collectively known as?
Otolith organs
What do the otolith organs detect?
Position of the head with respect to gravity (linear acceleration)
What does the superior semi-circular canal detect?
Up and down movements
What does the posterior semi-circular canal detect?
Head tilting to one shoulder
What does the horizontal semi-circular canal detect?
Head turning side to side
What is the name of the gelatinous mass that surrounds the crista ampullaris?
Cupula