Hearing, Balance, Taste and Smell

Question 1

understand the nature of sound and the way in which the physical characteristics of sound waves are related to the perception of loudness, pitch, and timbre

Answer 1

frequency= number of cycles per second expressed in units (pitch)
amplitude= high of wave expressed in decibels (loudness)

Question 2

explain how the structures of the ear capture and concentrate the sound energy and convert it to neural activity (inner ear)

Answer 2

alternating pressure waves enter ear canal and cause the tympanic membrane to vibrate

Question 3

ossicles (middle ear)

Answer 3

3 bones in the middle ear pass on the movements of the tympanic membrane to the cochlea

Question 4

cochlea (inner ear)

Answer 4

perilymph : fluid in scala vestibuli and scala tympani
low K, high Na
endolymph: fluid in scala media
opposite
pressure pushes fluid through cochlea

Question 5

main hearing loss causes

Answer 5

loud trauma to the tympanic membrane, physical trauma to the cochlea or ear

Question 6

cochlear implant

Answer 6

device attached to the cochlea to send sound straight to it to vibrate and trigger the processing of sound

Question 7

hearing aids

Answer 7

aids in which small microphones are inserted into the ear canal to amplify sound

Question 8

auditory pathway

Answer 8

cochlea to cochlear nucleus to superior olivary nucleus to inferior colliculus to medial geniculate nucleus to auditory cortex

Question 9

sound localization (loudness)

Answer 9

sound coming from the left will sound louder, low frequency sound waves bend around the head, so there isn’t much difference in loudness

Question 10

sound localization (timing)

Answer 10

it takes longer for sound to reach more distant ear

Question 11

vestibular system

Answer 11

detects head and body orientation and movements perceive relative head and body position in space

Question 12

vestibular system structures

Answer 12

semicircular canals, scarpa’s ganglion, Utricle and Saccule, vestibular nerve, auditory nerve, cochlea

Question 13

describe the structure and distribution of the papillae on the tounge

Answer 13

fungiform papillae- front half
foliate- middle section
circumvallate- back half

Question 14

contrast the receptors and cellular processes that transduce the five basic taste sensations

Answer 14

each receptor cell is most responsive to certain chemicals, this then leads to more depolarizing to trigger action potentials

Question 15

understand the gustatory pathway from taste receptor cells to the cortex

Answer 15

look at diagram in notes
gustatory signals travel to cranial nerves to gustatory nucleus in medulla, nucleus axons travel to thalamus, info flows to primary gustatory cortex

Question 16

describe the structures of the olfactory system and explain how olfactory receptor neurons transduce the information carried by odorant molecules

Answer 16

olfactory nerve, cribriform plate, basal cell, olfactory receptor cell, supporting cell, cilia of olfactory cells, mucus layer

Question 17

understand the olfactory pathway from receptor cells to the cortex

Question 18

describe the structure and function of the vomeronasal system in rodents, and weigh the evidence for and against the idea that humans respond to pheromones