ch 11.3, 11.4 + 11.6

Question 1

the outer ear

Answer 1

the pinna and the auditory canal

Question 2

pinnae

Answer 2

the part of the ear that’s visible on the outside of the head

Question 3

auditory canal

Answer 3

the canal thru which air vibrations travel from the environment to the tympanic membrane

Question 4

the auditory canal and its wax protects the?

Answer 4

tympanic membrane/eardrum

Question 5

tympanic membrane/eardrum

Answer 5

membrane at the end of the auditory canal that vibrates in response to vibrations of the air and transmits these vibrations to the ossicles in the middle ear

Question 6

middle ear

Answer 6

small air-filled space between the auditory canal and the cochlea that contains the ossicles. The airborne sound waves reach the ear drum and
they set the middle ear structures into vibration.

Question 7

ossicles

Answer 7

3 small bones in the middle ear that transmit vibrations from the outer ear to the inner ear

Question 8

what are the 3 bones in the ossicles

Answer 8

malleus, incus, and stapes

Question 9

malleus

Answer 9

1st set of ossicles that receives vibrations from the tympanic membrane and transmits these vibrations to the incus

Question 10

incus

Answer 10

2nd of the ossicles. receives vibrations from the malleus to the stapes

Question 11

stapes

Answer 11

3rd of the ossicles. receives vibrations from the incus and transmits these vibrations to the oval window of the inner ear

Question 12

the inner ear

Answer 12

innermost division of the ear, containing the cochlea and receptors for hearing

Question 13

cochlea

Answer 13

snail-shaped liquid-filled structure that contains the structure of the inner ear which are the basilar membrane, the tectorial membrane, and the hair cells

Question 14

cochlear partition

Answer 14

partition in the cochlea that seperates the scala tympani and the scsla vestibuli

Question 15

organ of corti

Answer 15

major structure of the cochlear partition, containing the basiliar membrane, the tectorial membrane, and the receptors for hearing

Question 16

hair cells

Answer 16

receptors for hearing that are displaced by vibration of the basilar membrane and fluids inside the inner ear

Question 17

what is the function of the 3 ossicles?

Answer 17

they help decrease the mismatch between
the low density of air and the high density of the liquid inside the inner ear by:
1) Concentrating the vibration of the large eardrum to the small stapes
2) Creating a lever action and amplifying the vibration

Question 18

middle ear muscles function

Answer 18

dampen the ossicle’s vibrations to protect the inner ear from potentially damaging stimuli

Question 19

basilar membrane

Answer 19

vibrates in response to sound and supports the organ of Corti

Question 20

tectorial membrane

Answer 20

extends over the hair cells and bends the hair cells by rubbing against them

Question 21

stereocilia

Answer 21

tips of the hair cells that bend in response to pressure changes

Question 22

what happens when stereocilia are bent to the right

Answer 22

the tip links are stretched and ion channels are opened

Question 23

cochlear amplifier

Answer 23

expansion and contraction of the outer hair cells in response to sound sharpens the movement of the basilar membrane to specific frequencies

Question 24

what is sound’s pathway to the brain?

Answer 24

SONIC MG
superior olivary nucleus to inferior colliculus to medial geniculate nucleus

Question 25

superior olivary nucleus (SON)

Answer 25

nucleus along the auditory pathway from the cochlea to the auditory cortex.

Question 26

inferior colliculus

Answer 26

receives inputs from the SON

Question 27

medial geniculate nucleus (MGN)

Answer 27

receives inputs from the inferior colliculus and transmits signals to the auditory cortex

Question 28

primary audio cortex

Answer 28

area of the temporal lobe that receives signals via nerve fibers from the MGN

Question 29

pitch neurons

Answer 29

a neuron that responds to stimuli associated w/ a specific pitch

Question 30

presbycusis

Answer 30

hearing loss as a result of age and is associated with a decrease in the ability to hear high frequencies

Question 31

noise-induced hearing loss

Answer 31

hearing loss that occurs when loud noises cause degeneration of hair cells

Question 32

hidden hearing loss

Answer 32

hearing loss that occurs at high sound levels, even tho the person’s thresholds are normal as indicated by an audiogram