Lecture 22; Hearing diagnostics and rehabilitation Flashcards
What can cause hearing loss;
Outer ear;
- ear wax, obstruction (temporary)
Middle ear;
- Glue ear/ wax again/ conductive hearing loss (temporary usually)
Inner ear;
- Cochlea problems, IHC of OHC loss, neuropathy, brain lesions (usually permanent)
Describe how they basilar membrane is a mechanical analyser of sound.
The basilar membrane has differing mechanical properties.
Base: Thick, stiff, narrow, only high frequencies will resonate here
Apex; Thin, wide, compliant, low frequencies will resonate here.
What do audiologist intend to do?
Find which frequencies people hear at
What does range of hearing frequencies indicate?
Indicates which part of the basilar membrane may be damage based on hearing loss
How do outer hair cells enhance frequency resolution?
They enhance the intensity of low frequencies and seperate frequencies so greater frequencies resolution can be achieved.
What cells tend to damaged first with exposure to loud sounds?
OHC first (3 rows should be observed)
IHC can be damaged too.
How can OHC damage be rectified?
Hearing aids (increases sound intensity)
What do hearing tests also attempt to do?
Determine what sort of damage has occurred, as IHC damage cant be rectified with hearing aids.
Determine underlying pathology
What damage can occur from loud noise exposure?
- Damage to tip links
- Damage to stereocilia
- Change in stria vascularis structure
- Damage to auditory nerve fibres (excitotoxicity)
- Cerebral damage or changes
What can hearing loss also lead to?
Poorer cognition
To what extent is there tonotopic mapping in the auditory system?
throughout the auditory system from the basilar membrane to the auditory cortex
What happens to the auditory cortex tonotopic map if there is inner ear damage?
That region of Hz no longer receives input, the brain is plastic so the neighbouring regions take over with their Hz.
What is audiometry?
The mechanisms undertaken to access hearing.
What is pure tone audiometry?
- Hearing thresholds are obtained by air and bone conduction.
- In air conduction the signal travels through the ear canal, across the middle ear cavity and into the cochlear.
- Therefore, air conduction threshold reflects the integrity of the total peripheral auditory mechanism.
Bone conduction reflects inner ear function.
what are the audiometer variables?
- Intensity dial
- Frequency dial
- L/R switch
- Presentation button
- Headphones/inserts/Bone vibrator
Testing to find thresholds of sounds we are hearing.