Auditory and Vestibular Systems

Question 1

What is Meniere’s disease?

Answer 1

• disorder of the inner ear that causes episodes of vertigo, tinnitus, hearing loss, and pressure in ears
• involves an abnormal amount of endolymph in the semicircular canals

Question 2

The vestibular pathway has secondary connections to which structures?

Answer 2

• cerebellum
• spinal cord (vestibular pathways)
• brainstem
• thalamic and cortical areas

Question 3

Hair cells are sensitive to what?

Answer 3

acceleration

Question 4

A lesion of which tract inhibits the vestibular system and causes one to tip over when standing with feet together?

Answer 4

dorsal column pathway (DCP)

Question 5

Explain findings of the caloric test.

Answer 5

COWS (keep in mind that this mnemonic refers to direction of the nystagmus - not the eye itself)

Question 6

What happens in the vestibular system when you voluntarily turn your head to one direction?

Answer 6

movement of the stereocilia in the horizontal canal of the same side to which you turned your head (causes movement of stereocilia toward kinocilia, resulting in depolarization of hair cell