Ears Jeopardy Flashcards
What is outermost ear structure consisting of skin and cartilage?
the pinna
What is the name of the sensory receptors found both in the cochlea and the semicircular canals?
hair cells
Which part of the vestibular system is responsible for determining the position of our head?
otolith organs
What structure receives vibrations from the stapes?
the oval window
Where are the auditory neurons located?
the organ of corti
Which type of sound will maximally displace the hair cells on the near end of the basilar membrane?
high-pitched sounds
Which midbrain structure helps to orient us in the case of a strong sound stimuli that could mean danger?
inferior colliculus
How does transduction in the auditory system differ from all other neurons discussed?
influx of K+ causes depolarization
What do we call the process of when the muscles of the ear tighten in response to loud sounds to reduce the vibrations of the ossicles?
attenuation reflex
What is the unusual feature of the hair cells that allows them to open and close K+ channels?
they are attached to mechanical springs
Confusion between visual and vestibular messages in the brain results in which disorder?
motion sickness
Damage to the middle ear results in which type of deafness?
conduction deafness
What is the name for the disorder associated with a constant “ringing” in the ears?
tinnitus
What are two ways nerve deafness can be caused?
DAMAGE TO INNER EAR
DAMAGE TO HAIR CELLS
DAMAGE TO AUDITORY NERVE
A loss in flexibility of the basilar membrane can result in which disorder?
presbycusis
In regards to the action potentials that occur in the hair cells versus other neurons, what is one important difference from the way in which action potentials fire?
MECHANICAL SIGNAL CONVERTS TO ELECTRICAL (no CHEMICAL step)
List the pathway for sound to reach the ear starting with the PINNA and ending with the BASILAR MEMBRANE.
PINNA → AUDITORY CANAL → TYMPANIC MEMBRANE (EARDRUM) → OSSICLES → OVAL WINDOW → Basilar membrane of COCHLEA
At what region do axons of the auditory nerve first enter the brain?
medulla
How is the mechanical energy of a sound wave transformed into an electrical impulse?
Mechanical energy of the sound pushes the fluid in the cochlea which bends the hair cells of the basilar membrane
Displacement of hair cell stereocilia initiates an excitatory signal by doing what?
causing an influx of K+
What is the frequency range in which the average human can hear?
20Hz and 20,000Hz (or 20 KHz)
What determines the loudness of a sound?
amplitude
Which theory explains how we hear higher pitched sounds from the base of the basilar membrane?
place theory
Sounds above our normal hearing range are referred to as
An example of an animal that can hear above our normal range is
ULTRASOUND
BAT/DOLPHIN
This describes how different parts of the brain correspond to different locations (and thus frequencies) on the basilar membrane.
tonotopic map
