Auditory Flashcards
what is tonotopy
decomposition of complex sounds into constituent tones/frequencies (acoustical decomposition) spatially along the length of the choclear basilar membrane
what does the eustachian tube connect
what does it help do
is it usually open or closed
the middle ear w/ the nasopharynx
- helps to equalize the pressure btwn the middle ear and throat (nasal cavity)
- usually closed but opens during swallowing
what does the pinna aka auricle do to sound waves
collects and funnels sound waves and directs them into the external auditory meatus (ear canal) which terminates at the tympanic membrane
what causes the tympanic membrane to vibrate
the sound waves (condensations and rarefactrions of air molec) push on the tympanic membrane, pushing it back and forth, causing it to vibarate
what is the tympanic membrane innervated by
CN10 (spinal nucleus of V) for sensation
-ex why ur ear hurts in earache
what is the function of the outer ear? middle ear? inner ear?
outer: function=to collect sound waves (air)
middle: function-impedance matching (air)
inner: function=sound transduction (fluid)
what is the tympanic membrane connected to
the 3 smallest bones in the body-the malleus, incus, stapes
when the tympanic membrane is set into motion by the sound wave, the vibrations are transmitted across the middle ear by what
the conductive system of bony ossicles
-the stapes foot plate then “kicks in the oval window” to deliver a pressure wave to the fluids of the cochlea
the middle ear improves the system by how many dB
30dB
- what happens in the inner ear
- where will the nerve impulses travel
- where sound is transduced through mechanical vibrations on hair cells to nerve impulses
- these nerve impulses travel in the first order neurons in the spiral ganglion, which will project via CN8 to the dorsal and ventral cochlear nuclei at the level of the highest medulla
which chamber is the stapes (at oval window) connected to? waht about the round window?
oval: upper chamber (SV)
round: lower chamber (ST)
where is the organ or corti located
scala media
- what is the fluid composition like in the upper, middle, and lower chambers
- why is this importatn?
-ST and ST are high in Na, low in K
SM is high in K and low in Na
-the basilar membrane separates SM from ST so it is in contact w/ both endolymph and perilymph and this creates one of the largest voltage gradients in the body
(endocochlear potential)
where does sound transduction take place
at the hair cells (mechanoreceptors)
how are the hair cells organized in the organ of corti
single row of inner hair cells
3 rows of outer hair cells
what are the 2 important membranes of the organ of corti
the basilar membrane beneath the hair cells and the tectorial membrane lying over the hair cells
wehre are high frequencies coded on the cochlea? what about low freq?
high freq: coded down at the base of the cochlea (part closewr to the stapes)
low: up at the apex of the cochlea (apex is closer to the helicotrema)
what is the bony core of the cochlea
sprial ganglion
-in the cochlea’s bony modiolus
what do the peripheral processes of the spiral ganglion innervate?
waht do the central prcosses leave as?
- peripheral procsesses innervate the hair cells (mainly IHC)
- central leave as the cochlear nerve (CN8) and the CN8 fibers head straight for the cochlear nuclei (dorsal and ventral) in the highest medulla)
where do the central processes of the bipolar cells of the spiral ganglion synapse at?
what do they make up?
where does CN8 travel inside?
synapse inside the brainstem
make up the auditory division of CN8
a small bony canal called the Internal auditory meatus (IAM)