Chapter 6 (Hearing, Balance, Taste, and Smell) Flashcards
transduction
The conversion of one form of energy to another.
pinna
The external part of the ear.
ear canal
Also called auditory canal. The tube leading from the pinna to the tympanic membrane.
inner ear
The cochlea and vestibular apparatus.
middle ear
The cavity between the tympanic membrane and the cochlea.
tympanic membrane
Also called eardrum. The partition between the external ear and the middle ear.
ossicles
Three small bones (incus, malleus, and stapes) that transmit vibration across the middle ear, from the tympanic membrane to the oval window.
oval window
The opening from the middle ear to the inner ear.
malleus
Latin for “hammer.” A middle-ear bone that is connected to the tympanic membrane.
incus
Latin for “anvil.” A middle-ear bone that is connected to the malleus and the stapes.
stapes
Latin for “stirrup.” A middle-ear bone that is connected to the oval window.
cochlea
A snail-shaped structure in the inner ear that contains the primary receptor cells for hearing.
vestibular canal
Also called “scala vestibuli.” One of three principal canals running along the length of the cochlea.
middle canal
Also called “scala media.” The central of the three spiraling canals inside the cochlea, situated between the vestibular canal and the tympanic canal.
tympanic canal
Also called “scala tympani.” One of the three principal canals running along the length of the cochlea.
round window
A membrane separating the tympanic canal from the middle ear.
organ of Corti
A structure in the inner ear that lies on the basilar membrane of the cochlea and contains the hair cells and terminations of the auditory nerve.
hair cell
One of the receptor cells for hearing in the cochlea.
basilar membrane
A membrane in the cochlea that contains the principal structures involved in auditory transduction.
stereocilium
A relatively stiff hair that protrudes from a hair cell in the auditory or vestibular system.
inner hair cell (IHC)
One of the two types of receptor cells for hearing in the cochlea. Compared to outer hair cells, IHCs are positioned closer to the central axis of the coiled cochlea.
outer hair cell (OHC)
One of the two types of receptor cells for hearing in the cochlea. Compared to inner hair cells, OHCs are positioned farther from the central axis of the coiled cochlea.
vestibulocochlear nerve
Cranial nerve VIII, which runs from the cochlea to the brainstem auditory nuclei.
tuning curve
A graph of the responses of a single auditory nerve fiber or neuron to sounds that vary in frequency and intensity.
cochlear nucleus
Either of two brainstem nuclei–left and right–that receive input from the auditory hair cells and send output to the superior olivary nuclei.
superior olivary nucleus
Either of two brainstem nuclei–left and right–that receive input from both right and left cochlear nuclei, and provide the birst binaural analysis of auditory information.
inferior colliculi
Paired gray matter structures of the dorsal midbrain that process auditory information.