Audition

Question 1

As you are clapping to one of you favorite podcasters after they finished their speech, you start to think about how clapping actually make sounds. As you are moving your hands closer towards each other, what is happening to the air molecules in between the two boundaries? What portion of this phenomenon is actually the direct production of clapping sounds?

Answer 1

As you are moving your hands closer to one another the air molecules are compressed due to increased compaction of the molecules. The sound production is a result of pressurized air molecules escaping from your hands as it moves from high to low concentration.

Question 2

Sounds with bigger distances between the two peaks:

A. Have a greater amplitude
B. Decreased Frequency
C. Smaller Amplitude
D. Higher frequency

Answer 2

B. Decreased or Low Frequency/pitch. Sounds with decreased distances between the two peaks are higher in frequency or higher in pitch

Amplitudes are in regards to high the peaks are. Higher peaks/amplitudes create louder sounds and lower peaks create softer sounds

Question 3

Are longer frequencies often associated with smaller amplitudes?

Answer 3

Amplitudes and frequencies of a wave are dependent of each other. Due to the physical relationship = Speed of wave (vW) = frequency*wavelength. With this relationship, the speed of sound is almost the same all the time, therefore with larger frequencies, the wavelength is smaller and with smaller frequencies, the amplitude is often larger

cnx.org

Question 4

In physics there is a saying that long waves travel further. Can this statement be applied within the ear.

Answer 4

Yes, lower and longer waves (lower in frequency sound waves, have to travel further in the cochlea in order to be detected by the hair cells in the basilar membrane. This is due to Basilar Tuning.

Question 5

After sound waves have past the superior oval window, where is its next destination of travel?

A. To the Ossicles
B. To the Round Window
C. Perilymph
D. To the Tympanic Membrane

Answer 5

C. Perilymph. The vibration from the ossicles are transmitted through the stapes to the perilymph (causing the fluid to move as a result)

Question 6

The Pinna Funnels sound waves to …

Answer 6

To the external Acoustic meatus or the ear canal

Question 7

True or false: The Tympanic membrane is directly connected to the malleus, therefore vibration of the eardrum leads to the vibration of the ossicles

Answer 7

True

Question 8

The motion of fluid in the cochlea is directly related to what physical quantity? What has happened when the perilymph stops flowing?

Answer 8

The motion of the fluid is related to the energy of the sound wave. When the perilymph stops flowing, this means the sound is no longer being produced or the energy of the sound wave has dissipated.

Question 9

Why doesn’t the fluid move back to the superior oval window as it is pushed to the round window?

Answer 9

There is a membrane in between the two canals (black line) that runs the length of the cochlea called the organ of corti

Question 10

The organ of corti is composed of:

A. Basilar membrane and Tonotopic membrane

B. Tonotopic membrane and Tectorial Membrane

C. Tonotopic Membrane and Basilar Membrane

D. Basilar Membrane and Tectorial Membrane

Answer 10

Organ of corti made of two things:
Basilar membrane
Tectorial membrane

Question 11

Differentiate the Auditory system from the pinna to the cochlea into structural categories

Answer 11

External/outer Ear - Pinna - Tympanic membrane
Middle Ear - Malleus -> stapes
Inner Ear - Cochlea and Semicircular canal

Question 12

True or False. As the perilymph in the cochlea travels, it is able to travel in different directions in order to transduce the vibrational signals into electrical signals.

Answer 12

False, Perilymph travel is very unidirectional. Even as the organ of corti splits the cochlea into 2, The organ of corti prevents the fluid from flowing in all directions. (draw out the figure)

Question 13

Because the travel of fluid in the cochlea is in one direction, what happens to the fluid once it reaches the tip of the cochlea?

Answer 13

The fluid runs into the round/circular window. The window bulges out but bounces back and causes the fluid to travel in the other direction. This motion of fluid movement continues until the energy of the sound wave has dissipated.

Question 14

True/False. The Basilar Membrane transduces vibrational information into electrical signals because it is the structure able to capture all frequencies of waves.

Answer 14

False. Though the basilar membrane does contain fibers that move in specific to different cells, the basilar membrane does not have the capacity to transduce these signals. The hair cells fire of the organ of corti move when the basilar membrane fibers move them to translate the signal. This is possible as the organ of corti sits on top of the basilar membrane

Britannica.com

Question 15

As the fluid in the cochlea flows, not only does it cause certain portions of the basilar membrane to vibrate, what also happens to transduce an electric signal?

A. It pushes up against the round window
B. The fluid flows in the organ of corti as well as on top and under as well.
C. The Endolymph’s travel is separate by the organ of corti
D. Th fluid stimulates the hair cells in the utricle

Answer 15

B. The Perilymph of the cochlea flows all around the cochlea as well to push the hair cells within the membrane to move.
A. this is true, but does not answer the Q
C. Perilymph is in the cochlea. And the separation doesn’t affect transduction but flow
D. The fluid of the auditory system doesn’t connect with the vestibular system

Question 16

Hair cells of the organ of corti have bundles of hair cells on the most superior portion of the cell called:

A. Stereocilia
B. Cillia
C. Flagella
D. Kinocilium

Answer 16

D. the superior portion of the hair cell called the hair bundles are made of Filaments called Kinocilium (aka microvilli). Each kinocilia are connected to one another by a tip link to increase efficiency and effectiveness of activating the cell.

Question 17

More often than not, an action potential in a cell occurs when a channel opens to allow ions to flow in. What type of channels are these in the hair cells of the organ of corti? How does the influx of these molecules affect the hair cells?

Answer 17

Potassium gated channels. Opening the channels allow K+ ions to flow in to not only depolarize the cell, but it also causes CA2+ channels in the hair cell to open up as well.

Question 18

Elaborate on the mechanism to allow gated channels in hair cells in the cochlea to open. What causes this opening?

Answer 18

Tip Links of different kinocilia are stretched as other kinocilia move. This stretching mechanically opens the gated potassium channels.

Question 19

True/False - A single hair cell has one associated kinocilia to the cell to allow potassium influx to cause calcium channels to open.

Answer 19

False. There are many kinocilium associated with a single hair cell. Therefore a flood of K+ can come from all other kinocilium to induce calcium channels opening at the base of the hair cell.

Question 20

Ultimately, what two ions in the cochlea are responsible for transducing a sound wave to an electrical wave.

A. K+ and Na+
B. Na+ and Ca2+
C. K+ and Ca2+
D. Na+ and Cl-

Answer 20

C. K+ and Ca2+

Question 21

What happens when the hair cell fires an action potential?

Answer 21

It sends its signal onto its associated spiral ganglion cell. The spiral ganglion cell sends its signals through the auditory nerve in order to send signals up the brain

Question 22

The retinal and spiral ganglion cell function in very similar ways. Like the retinal ganglion, does the spiral ganglion cells axons form the main nerve to to ascend into the brain?

Answer 22

No, while the retinal ganglion cell axons bundle as it exits the orbit to form the optic nerve, the Spiral ganglion cells axons synapse onto another cell that is part of the auditory nerve

Question 23

Along with funneling sound waves into the external acoustic meatus, what other function does the auricle do? To what extent does it work?

Answer 23

It amplifies the sound wave by 2

Question 24

Understanding that the pressure outside in the environment should be equal to the pressure within the ear canal, how does the different surface area between the auricle and the tympanic membrane affect the different forces on each respective structure?

Answer 24

The pinna is much larger in size compared to the tympanic membrane. Therefore if Pressure is equal to force over an area, and pressure was the same at both structures, then, the force of the pinna is much larger than the force at the tympanic membrane. This signifies a mechanical advantage.

Question 25

Why is there so much amplification occurring through different structures of the auditory system?

Answer 25

From Physics, as a wave moves changes media, in particular in this scenario from air to fluid, energy is lost due to the resistance that exists at the boundary of this change

Therefore to transmit our signal without losing the signal or energy of the signal, have to amplify this energy because the signal will decrease as it changes from vibrational to fluid (at the cochlea)

Question 26

Amplification at the Pinna is about 2 times and the ear drum amplification magnitude is….

Answer 26

About 15 times more than the external

Question 27

Amplification of the sound wave at the ossicles…

A. 2
B. 15
C. 7
D. 3

Answer 27

D. 3. Amplification of the sound wave after the eardrums occurs 3 times more

Question 28

The most amplification of the sound wave occurs at the ….

Answer 28

The Ear drum. It amplifies the signal by 15 times more

Question 29

The total amplification of a sound wave you hear at country concert is:

A. 20
B. 19
C. 100
D. 90

Answer 29

D. 90 Auricle/Pinna (2) * Cochlea (15) * Ossicles (3) = 90

Question 30

Amplification of a sound wave by 90 times from its external environment is equivalent to how many decibels?

Answer 30

This increase by 90 is equivalent to about 20 decibels only

Question 31

Q - True/False - Endolymph circulates through the cochlea.

Answer 31

False, endolymph can be found in only one area of the body, the semicircular canals. Perilymph is found within the cochlea

Question 32

Which of the following best describes the difference between endolymph and perilymph?

A. Endolymph is found in the vestibule, while perilymph is found in the cochlea.
B. Endolymph is found in the cochlea, while perilymph is found in the vestibule.
C. Endolymph is found in the membranous labyrinth, while perilymph is found in the bony labyrinth.
D. Endolymph is found in the bony labyrinth, while perilymph is found in the membranous labyrinth.

Answer 32

C. Endolymph is the potassium-rich fluid that bathes the hair cells of the inner ear, all of which are found within the membranous labyrinth. Perilymph is found in the space between the membranous labyrinth and the bony labyrinth. Both the membranous labyrinth and bony labyrinth contribute to the cochlea and the vestibule, eliminating choices (A) and (B)

Question 33

What is the importance of the round window in the cochlea?

Answer 33

Fluid, unlike gases, are incompressible. Therefore without the window’s flexible characteristic permitting more space, the perilymph won’t be able to travel and sound won’t be processed efficiently or at all.

Question 34

You are examining your mom’s fetus through an ultrasound and would like to see the correlation of a fetus’s heart rate to the voices both hers and a strangers (you). You recall an NHI article elaborated about fetal increase in heart rates with their mothers, yet see no signs of this on the monitor. What is one dysfunction the fetus might have regarding their cochlear windows that may be present in your child but not in the average fetus?

Answer 34

A dysfunction seen in this fetus regarding the auditory system, maybe due to a rigid cochlear window. A rigid membrane would cause the fluid to not propagate as much and lead a compromised hearing which may be the reason why the fetus doesn’t demonstrate the increase in heart rate after the mom talks.

Question 35

True or False. The cochlea only contains perilymph while the labyrinth contains endolymph

Answer 35

False. The cochlea is know for containing perilymph, however the scala media contains endolymph while the scala vestibuli and scala tympani contain perilymph

(neuroscientificallychallenged.com)

Question 36

True or False. Perilymph is also called Scarpa’s Fluid.

Answer 36

False, Endolymph is also called Scarpo’s Fluid after Antonio Scarpa. (wiki)

Question 37

After the signals are transduced into an electrical signal in the hair cells of the organ of corti, where does the signal travel to? In what pathway?

Answer 37

Travels to the primary auditory cortex through the cochlear n/acoustic n/auditory n.

Question 38

Differentiate the endolymph from perilymph.

Answer 38

Perilymph has a similar ionic composition as ECM (found everywhere in the body) and endolymph is exclusively found in the semicircular canals

Question 39

Compare and Contrast hair cells in the cochlea and the semicircular canals

Answer 39

They are slightly different from each other. They send action potentials through their own nerve to the brain. Hair cells in the Semicircular canals send action potentials through the vestibular nerve.

Question 40

As the vestibular n and the cochlear n. Travel up into the brain to have their information processed by the brain, what occurs to these nerves.

Answer 40

These two systems axons join one another to from the vestibulocochlear n, a cranial nerve.

Question 41

The brain is able to interpret different frequencies of sounds because…

Answer 41

The cochlea is able to detect different frequency of sounds

Question 42

What is the range of human hearing?

Answer 42

20 - 20g Hz

Question 43

How is the basilar membrane different based on the location of the fibers?

Answer 43

The fibers at the base/start of the cochlea are short and stiff. These responds to high pitch, short waves.

The fibers at the tip/apex have long and loose fibers. These fibers respond to long, low frequencies

Question 44

The basilar membrane has different fibers that respond to different frequencies of sound waves. This phenomenon is known as Basilar Tuning. What is the significance of this?

Answer 44

Different portions of the basilar membrane can be stimulated independent of others and this allows individual frequencies to be specifically detected

Question 45

Much like the system that detects sounds, how is the temporal cortex similar to it in regards to organization?

Answer 45

The cochlea, the structure responsible for detecting different frequencies. The primary acoustic cortex, a portion of the temporal lobe, also is organized into different areas that process different frequencies as well. This organization is called tonotypical mapping. The most anterior portion processes high frequencies while the most posterior portion processes low frequencies. (psych.athabascau.co)

Question 46

What is the evolutionary advantage in having systems that can detect specific frequencies rather than all as one sound or a few sounds only?

Answer 46

Specialization of each receptor prevents that brain from becoming overwhelmed with lots of signals at once. Without the specialization, any sound will cause all hair cells to fire at once.

Question 47

As you and Juan are clapping at a ceremony, you two are both producing different frequencies of sound waves. (draw out between Frequency 1 vs Frequency 2) What aspect of the cochlea allows for differentiation of these two frequencies?

Answer 47

Basilar tuning of within in the cochlea produced as a result of different hair cells in the basilar membrane responds to different frequencies

Question 48

On a run in the park with Juan, you hear the high pitched beeps of a truck unloading at the Bimbo company while simultaneously hearing the deep laughter of a man. What aspect of the brain allows for differentiation of these two frequencies?

Answer 48

Tonotypical mapping - The primary auditory cortex is divided is organized into different regions that process different frequencies

Question 49

All these words mean the same thing except?

A. Acoustic nerve
B. Auditory nerve
C. Vestibular nerve
D. Cochlear nerve

Answer 49

C. Vestibular n are the bundled axons coming from the vestibules while all 3 others mean the same thing: the bundled nerve coming from the cochlea.

Question 50

While the axons fibers of the cochlea bundle as they ascend up the brain, what would cause the nerves carrying auditory information to separate once they are in the temporal brain?

Answer 50

They would separate in order to synapse onto their correct portion of the cortex that has the ability to process their frequencies. This is a result of Tonotopic mapping.

Question 51

Without Basilar Tuning, humans would not be able to differentiate between sounds. What is the mapping of different frequency sounds in the brain referred to as?

A. Auditory Mapping
B. Basilar Mapping
C. Tonotopical Mapping
D. Geographical Mapping

Answer 51

C. Tonotopical Mapping - This is the organization of the primary auditory cortex in order to differentiate different frequencies of sounds

Question 52

True or False - The Base of the Cochlea is the tip of the cochlea where the membranes are located

Answer 52

False. The base is where the membranes are found, but the Apex is the tip of the snail shaped cochlea. The base is the beginning of the cochlea

Question 53

The primary auditory cortex, located on the anterior surface of the temporal lobe inside the lateral fissure, has a tonotopic representation. Describe which portion of the auditory cortex responds to which frequencies.

Answer 53

Most anterior corresponds to high frequencies and most posterior portions corresponds to low frequencies

Question 54

Compare and Contrast Basilar tuning and tonotopical mapping.

Answer 54

The organization of frequencies detection in the cochlea is called Basilar Tuning and the organization of the of frequencies processing in the brain is called Tonotopic Mapping

Question 55

A man comes into your ER after falling head first from a ladder when he was attempting to clean the gutters of his house. After examination, to your surprise he suffered no trauma other than some sensorineural hearing loss on his left side. You start to consider a cochlear implant as a potential treatment. Why is the treatment a possibility?

Answer 55

Cochlear Implants can be used to restore some level of hearing for the individual with sensorineural hearing loss or nerve deafness. Therefore a pathway/s in the ear before the auditory nerve has been damaged and bypassing these structures with the implant can aid the individual in recovering some degree of hearing.

Question 56

Within patients who are diagnosed with the sensorineural hearing loss, what problem in hearing does the individual suffer from?

Answer 56

These patients lack the ability to conduct the signal as one part of the pathway has been damaged or lost. As a result the conversion from mechanical wave to electrical signals doesn’t happen

Question 57

Associate each portion of the cochlear implant to their function

A. Receiver
B. Microphone
C. Speech Processor
D. Transmitter

I. Receives electrical info from the speech processor. Is implanted outside the skull
II. Sends electrical to the transmitter after it receives information from the microphone
III. Detects environmental sounds
IV. Receives information from the Transmitter and sends the signal to the auditory nerve through the Stimulator

Answer 57

A - IV, B - III, C - II, D - I

Question 58

You are finishing your first cochlear implant in your small patient. What is the goal of the stimulator? Where must the stimulator be attached to?`

Answer 58

The stimulator is supposed to bypass all structures of the ear, therefore it must by anastomosed from the receiver to the auditory nerve

Question 59

Match the following somatosensation to their information type

A. Thermoception
B. Mechanoreception
C. Nociception
D. Proprioception

I. Sensing own body’s position
II. Sensing information about temperature
III. Sensing information about pain
IV. Sensing information about pressure

Answer 59

Answer: A - II, B - IV, C - III, D - I

Question 60

The body is able to sense information about pressure all over the body. Compare and contrast baroreceptors from mechanoreceptors as well as what kind of pressure they both detect.

Answer 60

Mechanoreceptors are somatosensory that senses information about pressure. Typically they are mechanically gated and with external stimuli such as touch, stretching, etc. the receptor will be activated. The commonly rehearsed types are the muscle spindles that stretch in response to muscle stretching.

Baroreceptors are a type of mechanoreceptors located in blood vessels to detect blood volume pressures. With increase in blood volume, leads to increases in vessels and therefore increase in baroreceptor firing

Question 61

How does the body detect different intensities of a stimuli?

Answer 61

It senses different intensities by detecting how fast the receptor is firing

Question 62

How does the brain determine timing of a stimulus? Therefore how does the brain determine the duration of an applied stimulus ?

Answer 62

In order for a brain to encode timing, the body has three mechanisms to help achieve this: Non-adapting neurons, slow adapting neurons, and fast adapting neurons.

Question 63

You read in a journal about a debate regarding pain receptors as non-adapting or slow adapting. Why might the case of pain receptors as non-adapting make sense? What does non-adapting mean?

Answer 63

Non adapting neurons are cells that will fire at a consistent rate the whole time a stimulus is applied. Pain receptors are these types of cells and it is important that they are non-adapting. Without the consistent register of pain, the individual won’t know what is harming them and won’t move away or attempt to relieve this pain (other sources have stated that pain receptors can be slow adapting as well)

Question 64

How does slow adapting neurons differ from fast adapting neurons?

Answer 64

Slow adapting neurons are cells that are slow to change their firing rate with an ongoing stimulus

Fast adapting neurons are cells that quickly fire an action potential to the brain when it detects a signal. As the signal is applied consistently, it rapidly stops firing and only fires again when the stimulus has been removed

Question 65

Superman is flying quickly throughout the city and slams into you. What type of somatosensory information are you receiving as he hits you square in the chest? What is the intensity of these types of information? How is your body determining the timing of these stimuli? How is location sensed?

Answer 65

Pressure - mechanoreception, Pain - Nociception,

Proprioception - Position changes

The intensity of these types of information will occur very rapidly

The timing neurons will all be firing with the applied stimulus

Location - The areas of impact will be receiving these information will be sending information to the brain

Question 66

Compare and Contrast Sensory Amplification and Sensory Adaptation.

Answer 66

Sensory Adaptation - Change over time of the receptor’s responsiveness to a constant stimulus. Therefore this is down regulation of a sensory receptor

Sensory Amplification - Up regulation of a stimulus in the environment

Question 67

When you first rest your hand on the table, you notice the table due to the pressure it exerts back against your hand. Over time, you lose this sensation due to what phenomenon?

Answer 67

This is due to sensory adaptation. Over time the cell no longer is sending signals to the brain if the stimulus (the pressure sensed) does not change with time as well.

Question 68

What is the evolutionary advantage of sensory adaptation?

Answer 68

Overwhelming a cell with stimulus without any regulation means that the cell will be firing at very high rates all the time as well as overwhelming the brain with information. This can cause the cell to die, therefore adaptation preserves the cell from the same constant stimulus

Question 69

Explain how the visual system can amplify the images coming into the retina.

Answer 69

Light can be up regulated if the photoreceptor(s) detecting this light is able to synapse onto more than one bipolar and retinal ganglion cells. Through more than one synapse, this increases the number of signals traveling up to the brain

Question 70

You are walking across a noisy street in SF with Juan on your way to see Aladdin. Even with all the noise surrounding the two of you, why are you still able to hear the jazz player down the street? What has occurred to the sensory information once it is in the brain?

Answer 70

The sensory information has been amplified, therefore this scenario is sensory amplification, in which a signal has been up regulated by the internal auditory structures.

Question 71

Where in the brain is somatosensory information mapped?

Answer 71

It is mapped onto the primary somatosensory cortex/strip in the parietal lobe

Question 72

Your patient is finally undergoing her chemo surgery in which you are attempting to remove the cancer from her somatosensory strip. What can you do to make sure you are not removing more tissue from this area than needed?

Answer 72

Have the patient stay awake as you stimulate each portion of the strip and ask her to verbalize any sensation she may be having with the applied electrical signal. Therefore, if you stimulate the strip processing information from the hand, she should be feel some sensation in her hands

Question 73

In an experiment to test Alex and Angelie, you ask them to walk from the window of the living room to the front door while blind folded. Both are able to do so successfully. What sensation allows them to commit to this balance?

Answer 73

Their memory of the space (hippocampus and other portions of the brain) and their sense of balance, or proprioception allows them to identify their body and orientation in space as they walk through the room

Question 74

Describe the relationship of muscles and proprioception

Answer 74

Muscles contain receptors called muscle spindles that sense stretching as the muscle contracts, relaxes, or stretches. With these motions, the receptor itself is also stretched, and its signals are sent to the brain. The brain interprets these signals as orientation of the body in space and therefore this contributes to the understanding of proprioception

Question 75

Compare and contrast Kinesthesia to Proprioception. Are these different terms used for the same thing?

Answer 75

Proprioception: Position, Balance, and cognitive awareness of body in space (subconscious, not always thinking about this)

Kinesthesia - Body’s movements. More behavioral, body detects exactly how the body is moving with conscious input. Can teach yourself to commit to certain motions and then these motions can become subconscious

Question 76

The name of the receptors for these sensations are …

Answer 76

Nociceptors and thermoreceptors respectively

Question 77

TRP VI is a receptor located in the many areas in the body. What sensations do these receptors detect?

Answer 77

Pain and temperature.

Question 78

Much like the many nerves such as the retinal ganglion cells travel in pathway to the brain, how are the somatosensory TRP VI receptors similar to receptors in the eye?

Answer 78

TRP VI sense information from all over the body. However, they bundle together to become one nerve to send information to the brain (which is seen in the retinal ganglion cells)

Question 79

Describe how the meaning of receptors change from discussion from microscopic study to macroscopic studies of sensation.

Answer 79

In microscopic studies of sensation, a receptor is a molecule in the cell membrane surveying the extracellular matrix. In macroscopic studies of sensation, receptors are the nerve cells itself capturing the stimulus, therefore the whole cell is identified as a receptor.

Question 80

Q - Somatosensory nerves containing lots myelination are called…

A. A - β fibers
B. A - γ fibers
C. C Fibers
D. B Fibers

Answer 80

A. A - β fibers. These nerves have lots of myelination and are large diametered

Question 81

Somatosensory nerves containing small diameters are called…

A. A - γ fibers
B. A - β fibers
C. C Fibers
D. B Fibers

Answer 81

C. C Fibers. These nerves have small diameters and no myelination

Question 82

Somatosensory nerves containing medium diameters
A. C Fibers
B. A - β Fibers
C. A - γ fibers
D. B Fibers

Answer 82

C. A - γ fibers are medium in diameter and they have some myelination

Question 83

Describe the mechanism of myelination effect on signal travel through an axon.

Answer 83

Myelination allows the speed of an action potential to be conducted at a very fast rate. This fat from schwann or oligodendrocytes cells prevents the leakage of ions out of the cell. The presence of ions is what allows electricity to be propagated quickly and therefore myelinated cells have increased propagation of electrical currents

Question 84

Describe the physical phenomenon that occurs with increasing the diameter of a tube. How is this important in the travel of somatosensory information?

Answer 84

With an increase in diameter, there is a decrease in resistance. Therefore, in somatosensory information where there are three different types of signal travel, the axon with the largest diameter (A - β) , will demonstrate the least amount of resistance and therefore will also have the fastest signal while the smallest diameter will have the most resistance (C Fibers)

Question 85

You’re sowing Juan’s gym pants and the needle slips and jams deep into your left thumb. Describe the mechanism of pain demonstrated in this example.

Answer 85

As a needle pierces the skin, it actually causes the cells to break open. When the cells are pierced open, they release little chemicals, which will diffuse to the nearest pain receptors (TRP VI) and activate the receptor.

Question 86

As you are eating some tacos for dinner, you decide to have some raw jalapenos along with it. After the first few nipples of not feeling any heat, you take a bigger bite of the jalapenos and immediately start to feel the burn. Describe how this pain is detected and perceived.

Answer 86

As you take a giant bite of the jalapenos, you are breaking down the cells, which cause them to release capsaicin. These chemicals bind to the nociceptors of the tongue and cause the TRP VI to fire and AP to the brain. The brain then interprets this signal as pain and heat.

Question 87

True or false, you only start to notice the heat of a jalapeno once your brain has perceived the signal from the TRP VI molecules

Answer 87

True

Question 88

In an interview a food competitor noted that as a young child they never liked spicy foods because they were simply too hot for her to handle. However, when she started eating competitively, over time she didn’t feel these sensations anymore and in fact miss it when she is just enjoying a meal with her family. What has happened to her nociceptors?

Answer 88

The receptors have died off. With the increase in consumption, the chemical has caused her receptors to desensitize and the nerve eventually died.

Question 89

Describe the mechanism of capsaicin’s effect onto a joint and how this would be a good treatment to someone with severe arthritis?

Answer 89

Capsaicin are injected into the joint to kill nerve fibers, This leads to a decreased sensation of pain and increase comfortability for the patients.

Question 90

Q - The basilar membrane consists of … 
A. 10000 fibers
B. 20000 fibers
C. 100000 fibers
D. 200000 fibers

Answer 90

B. 20000 fibers. These fibers get longer as you go down further the membrane

Question 91

Describe the relation of the basilar membrane to the organ of corti

Answer 91

The basilar membrane’s fibers vibrate as a result of certain frequencies. As the fibers move they cause the organ of corti’s hair cells to be activated and stimulate an action potential. Therefore the basilar membrane captures frequencies. The organ of corti transduces these vibrations into an electrical impulse

Question 92

Describe how the properties of a sound wave affect different portions of the cochlea

Answer 92

Sound wave’s amplitude (loudness) affects how much hair cells move. The louder the sound, the more hair cells of the organ of corti are triggered

Sound wave’s frequency (pitch) affects which fibers of the basilar membrane vibrate.

Question 93

The inner ear is composed of the membranous and bony labyrinth. Why does the membranous labyrinth consist of?

Answer 93

The membranous labyrinth is a continuous system of ducts within the bony labyrinth. This labyrinth is composed of endolymph and is surrounded by perilymph. The membranous labyrinth is made of the semicircular ducts, the cochlear duct and the otoliths.

Question 94

What is the cochlear duct?

Answer 94

The cochlear duct is the scale media of the cochlea filled with endolymph. The cochlear duct houses the organ of corti