Lecture 3: Audition Flashcards
What is sound?
Pressure waves generated by vibrating air molecules
What are the 4 major features of sound?
- Waveform
- Phase
- Amplitude
- Frequency
Perception of sound corresponds to___________and ___________ .
loudness, pitch
What is amplitude perceived as? What is its unit of measurement?
- loudness (a measure of the size of the pressure fluctuations)
- decibels
What is frequency perceived as? What is its unit of measurement?
- pitch (a measure of the rate of the vibratory cycles that occur in one second)
- hertz (Hz)
Undisturbed air molecules are at _____ or ______ pressure
ambient, atmospheric
What is it called when the prong of a tuning fork moves to the right causing the neighboring air molecules to be pushed together?
compression or condensation
Define pure tones
sounds produced by objects vibrating in simple harmonic motion
How is sound wave propagated through the air?
- Each particle oscillates around its own position
- However, the sound wave moves through the air as each particle sets its neighbor in motion
What is simple harmonic motion also known as? What does it generate?
- aka sinusoidal motion
- generates a sine wave
At what amplitude is sound painful?
120-140 dB
At what amplitude is sound an uncomfortable loudness?
100 dB
How many hertz (frequency) is the most sensitive thresholds?
2000 - 5000 Hz
What are the functions of the external ear?
- Protection
- Sound gathering providing a high-frequency boost >3k Hz
- Sound localization & elevation detection (Alters the effective spectrum of sound in a manner dependent on the location (up or down) of the sound source in the vertical plane)
What is the smallest bone in the body?
the stapes
What is the function of the stapes?
Pounds on the oval window to send signals to the inner ear
What is impedance matching?
The middle ear matches low-impedance airborne sounds to the higher-impedance fluid of the inner ear
What is impedance?
a medium’s resistance to movement
How would impedance matching affect the ear is there is no middle ear?
- 30 dB loss intensity
- Example from powerpoint: Sound vibrations traveling directly from air to water would be reflected and undergo a 30dB loss in intensity
How is impedance matching affected with the middle ear?
- Ear gains 34bB from the middle ear
- Area advantage = 27 dB
- Ossicular lever action = 1.3 dB
- Curved membrane buckling mechanism = 6 dB
What is the function of the inner ear?
site for transduction of sound pressure waves to action potentials in the 8th nerve
What is perilymph (located in the scala vestibuli of the cochlea)?
- Similar to other extracellular fluid (0 mV, low K+)
- Rich in Na+, low in Ca2+ and K+
What is endolymph (located in scala media of the cochlea)?
- Has high K+, low Na+, low Ca2+ concentrations (+80mV) due to the stria vascularis
What parts of the basilar membrane is the most stiff and the least stiff?
- Stiffest at base
- Least stiff at apex
Where do high frequencies cause vibrations on the basilar membrane?
High frequencies = base
Where do low frequencies cause vibrations on the basilar membrane?
Low frequencies = apex
What makes up the organ of Corti?
- Basilar membrane
- 3 rows of outer hair cells
- 1 row of inner hair cells
- Supporting cells
What innervates the inner hair cells of the organ of Corti
Sensory = innervates 8th nerve afferents
What innervates the outer hair cells of the organ of Corti?
- Amplifiers
- Receive efferent innervation that can modify the sound
What is the organ of Corti? What is its function?
- Auditory receptor organ on basilar membrane
- Respond to sound-induced vibrations of less than a nanometer
What occurs before the hair cells are activated?
- Tympanic membrane set into vibration by sound
- Stapes footplate moves in and out of the oval window
- Basilar membrane moves up and down
Explain the excitation (activation) of outer hair cells
When the basilar membrane moves in the upward direction, a shear force is generated between the reticular lamina and the tectorial membrane
- Stererocilia (connected by tip links) bend in the lateral direction (toward outer wall of the cochlea)
- K+ current depolarizes the cell and opens voltage dependent Ca2+ channels = transmitter release
- Ca2+ dependent K+ channels open = repolarization
Explain inhibition of hair cells
- Basilar membrane moves in the downward direction = stereocilia bend in the medial direction (toward the modiolus)
- Medial bending closes the MET (mechanoelectric transducer) channels and repolarizes/inhibits the hair cells
What is the motor activity of the OHCs known as?
cochlear amplifiers or active process in the cochlea