Chapter 12 (M. Wolfe)

Question 1

Active sensing

Answer 1

Sensing that includes self-generated probing of the environment.

Question 2

Amplitude

Answer 2

The size (increase or decrease) of a head movement (e.g., angular velocity, linear acceleration, tilt).

Question 3

Angular acceleration

Answer 3

The rate of change of angular velocity.

Question 4

Angular motion

Answer 4

Rotational motion like the rotation of a spinning top or swinging saloon doors that rotate back and forth.

Question 5

Balance system

Answer 5

The sensory systems, neural processes, and muscles that contribute to postural control. Specific components include the vestibular organs, kinesthesis, vestibulo-spinal pathways, skeletal bones, and postural control muscles.

Question 6

Balance

Answer 6

The neural processes of postural control by which weight is evenly distributed, enabling us to remain upright and stable.

Question 7

Dizziness

Answer 7

A commonly used lay term that nonspecifically indicates any form of perceived spatial disorientation, with or without instability

Question 8

Hair cell

Answer 8

Any cell that has stereocilia for transducing mechanical movement in the inner ear into neural activity sent to the brain; some also receive inputs from the brain

Question 9

Kinesthetic

Answer 9

Referring to perception involving sensory mechanoreceptors in muscles, tendons, and joints.

Question 10

Otolith organ

Answer 10

Either of two mechanical structures (utricle and saccule) in the vestibular system that sense both linear acceleration and gravity.

Question 11

Receptor potential

Answer 11

A change in voltage across the membrane of a sensory receptor cell (in the vestibular system, a hair cell) in response to stimulation.

Question 12

Semicircular canal

Answer 12

Any of three toroidal tubes in the vestibular system that sense angular motion

Question 13

Sensory integration

Answer 13

The process of combining different sensory signals. Typically, combining several signals yields more accurate and/or more precise information than can be obtained from individual sensory signals

Question 14

Spatial orientation

Answer 14

A sense consisting of three interacting modalities: perception of linear motion, angular motion, and tilt.

Question 15

Vection

Answer 15

An illusory sense of self-motion caused by moving visual cues when one is not, in fact, actually moving.

Question 16

Vestibular organs

Answer 16

The set of five sense organs—three semicircular canals and two otolith organs—located in each inner ear that sense head motion and head orientation with respect to gravity

Question 17

Vestibular system

Answer 17

The set of five sense organs—three semicircular canals and two otolith organs—located in each inner ear that sense head motion and head orientation with respect to gravity and the neural pathways directly associated with these sense organs

Question 18

What are the three directions of rotation coded by the vestibular system?

Answer 18

Roll: rotation around the x-axis
Pitch: rotation around the y-axis
Yaw: rotation around the z-axis

Question 19

What do hair cells do in the vestibular system?

Answer 19

Hair cells support the stereocilia that transduce mechanical movement in the vestibular labyrinth into neural activity sent to the brain stem.

Question 20

What are maculae?

Answer 20

Maculae are specialized detectors of linear acceleration and gravity found in each otolith organ.

Question 21

What is the vestibular-ocular reflex?

Answer 21

It is a compensatory eye movement that adjusts for changes in head position in order to keep the eye fixated on a target.

Question 22

What area of the brain is involved in spatial orientation perception?

Answer 22

The multisensory temporo-parieto-insular cortex. It receives input from both the semicircular canals and the otolith organs and if it is damaged by a stroke, patients report illusory tilts and/or illusory translation