NMH; Lecture 9, 10 and 11 - Sound conduction and transduction, Vestibular systems, Structure and function of eye Flashcards
What is the anatomy of the ear?
What is the function of the outer ear?
Focuses sound on the tympanic membrane and boosts sound pressure
What is the function of the middle ear?
- Increases pressure of vibrations by -> focusing vibrations from large SA (tympanic membrane) to smaller SA (oval window) and by changing SA, the pressure is increased;
- the incus has a flexible joint with staples (ossicles use leverage to increase force on oval window)
What is the function of the inner ear?
Cochlea -> tranduces vibration into nervous impulses and whilst doing so produces frequency (pitch) and intensity (loudness) analysis of the sound
What are the 3 compartments of the inner ear?
Scala vestibuli, scala tympani (which both contain perilymph) and scala media (contains endolymph fluid)
How is the basilar membrane of the inner ear arranged and how does this help with its function?
Using same principle as xylophone -> membrane is sensitive to different frequencies at different points along the length;
high frequencies at base which is narrow and short
How does depolarisation in the inner ear work?
- Opens K+ channels - upward movement of basilar membrane displaces stereocilia away from modiolus ->
- K+ channels open ->
- K+ enters from endolymph ->
- hair cell depolarises
How does hyper-polarisation in the inner ear work?
- Closes K+ channels ->
- Downward movement of the basilar membrane displaces stereocilia towards modiolus ->
- K+ channels close and hair cell hyperpolarises
What are the central auditory pathways?
Spiral ganglions from each cochlea project via auditory vestibular nerve to ipsilateral cochlear nuclei (monoaural neurones), and after this point all connections are biateral so deafness in one ear due to central causes must only be affecting cochlear nucleus or VIII nerve (rare)
How is hearing organised in the brain?
In the primary auditory cortex it is arranged tonotopically
What is loudness?
Loudness is the characteristic of a sound that is primarily a psycho-physiological correlate of physical strength (amplitude). More formally, it is defined as “that attribute of auditory sensation in terms of which sounds can be ordered on a scale extending from quiet to loud
What are the characteristics of sound?
Compressed and rarefied air, frequency/pitch (Hz), amplitude/loudness -> humans hear 20-20000Hz and 0-120 dB sound pressure level
At what frequency does human speech sound and what is an issue with this?
2-5kHz where hearing loss increases with age and particularly at this frequency
How do you evaluate ears?
Otoscopy of the tympanic membrane; tuning fork tests (Rinne and Weber tests)
How is the tympanic membrane examined?
Checking for light reflection, differentiation of its parts and mobility (ask patient to block nose and breathe); see cone of light
How is the tuning fork test carried out?
- Used to differentiate between conductive and sonsorineural haring loss -> for common practice 256, 512 and 1025 Hz are used;
- larger forks vibrate at slower frequencies, activated by striking against examiners elbow and placed 2cm away from EAC for air conduction and on mastoid for bone conduction;
- where chochlea is stimulated directly by the vibrations conducted through the skull
How do you assess hearing?
Audiometry (speech audiometry and pure tone audiometry), tympanometry and otoacustic emission
What is audiometry and how is it measured?
Science of measuring hearing acuity for variations in sound intensity and frequency - audiometer used to produce sound of varying intensity and fequency
What is tympanometry?
Examination used to test the condition of the middle ear and mobility of the eardrum (tympanic membrane) and the conduction bones by creating variations of air pressure in ear canal
What is spontaneous otoacoustic emission?
Normal cochlear outer hair cells expand and contract producing low intensity sounds called OAEs -> often part of newborn hearing screening program
What are the types of hearing loss?
Conductive hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss and mixed hearing loss
What are the causes of conductive hearing loss?
Outer ear: congenital malformations, impacted wax, foreign bodies, external otitis, exostosis; Middle ear: Acute otitis media, otitis media with effusion, chronic otitis media, otos clerosis
What kind of congenital malformations occur in the outer ear?
Congenital atresia -> collapse or closure of the ear canal, may occur in isolation but typically associated with congenital malformations of the middle ear
What can impacted wax cause?
Mild hearing loss, easily treated by removing the wax
Which foreign bodies can cause hearing loss and how do you treat it?
More common in children which may need removal under general anaesthesia -> insects can be removed using alcoholic/oily solution or lidocaine
What is external otitis?
Swelling and redness of EAC, otorrhea, pain on mobilisation of ear and tragus, systemic symptoms in severe cases
What is exostosis?
Benign bone growth, usually in people with a history of exposure to repeated cold water - usually multiple, bilateral (possible extension to middle ear)
What are the symptoms of exostosis?
Hearing loss, external repeat ear infections and accumulation of ear wax
What is acute otitis media?
Inflammation of the middle ear, by far the most common health problem in children
What is otitis media with effusion?
Otitis media with accumulation of fluid, history of flu -> causes hearing loss, ear fullness and autophonia
What are the kinds of chronic otitis media?
What is a cholesteatoma?
Destructive and expanding growth consisting of keratinising squamous epithelium in middle ear/mastoid process
What is otosclerosis?
Begins as soft, spongy growth of new bone anywhere in ME but often near oval window, where in 10% of cases growth reduces mobility of stapes, causing conductive HL
How do you treat otosclerosis?
Stapedectomy (remove stapes and replace with artificial ones)
What is presbyacusis?
Starts in adolescence, but is associated with ageing; gradual, symmetric, affects frequencies of speech for 5th decade of life; men are 2x affected and they start earlier with more significant losses -> often associated with tinnitus
What is sudden hearing loss?
Occurs unexplained, rapid loss of hearing usually in one ear; defined as greater than 30 dB hearing reduction, over at least 3 contiguous frequencies all over a period of 72hrs or less
What are ototoxic drugs?
Toxicity effects vary from mild and temp to severe and perm with 30% of elderly people with hearing loss potentially taking ototoxic meds
Which infections cause Sensorineural hearing loss?
- Bacterial/viral infections that invade inner ear and can disrupt vestibuar function;
- infectious diseases (MMR, meningitis, encephalitis, chicken pox, influenza and syphilis) can also invade inner ear and
- cause sensorineural hearing loss or vestibular symptoms
What is noise-induced hearing loss due to acoustic trauma?
Injury due to brief exposure to very intense sounds, like gun shots, artillery fire, explosions, where H may be perm and severe but substantial recovery is common
What is noise-induced hearing loss due to long term noise exposure?
Damage results from long term exposure to high levels of noise, common in some occupational settings
What is the function of the hair cells - both inner and outer?
Hair cells are displaced; inner cell have connections to brain (afferent), outer hair cells move in response to information in brain
What is sound amplitude measured by?
Decibel scale -> log scale useful as sensitivity is very large
What is the dizziness triad?
x
What are the 3 semi circular canals stimulated by and what do they give a signal about?
Angular acceleration -> give signal of angular velocity
What are the 2 otolith organs stimulated by and what do they give a signal about?
Linear acceleration and gravito-intertial force; give signal of head acceleration and tilt
What are the signals from the semi circular canals and the otolith organs used for?
Control balance reactions, provide compensatory reflexes, provide spatial reference for other sensory motor coordinations, tune cardio-vascular function for re-orientations, serve perception of motion in space
What happens when control of balance reactions doesn’t work?
Ataxia
What happens when compensatory ocular reflexes aren’t provided?
Total loss- oscillopsia; unilateral loss - nystagmus
What happens when CV function for reorientations aren’t tuned?
Hypotension
What happens when perception of motion in space isn’t served?
Dizziness
What happens when there is unusual stimulation of balance organs?
Motion sickness is provoked
What are the functional causes of vestibular disorders?
Misinterpretation of sensory input, maladaptaion, loss of rules of correspondence between senses, over awareness/magnification of sensory input
What are the structural causes of vestibular disorder?
Destructive or irritative disease
What are the both structural and functional causes of vestibular disorder?
Structural disorder provoking chronic dysfunction
What is nystagmus?
Flick back of the eye when looking at something -> optokinetic nystagmus is due to watching out the window in the train
What are the common causes of vertigo for a few seconds?
Benign positional vertigo - due to debris in canals; intense vertigo and nausea -> paroxysmia which responds to Tegretol
What are the common causes of vertigo for a few minutes?
Vertebrobasilar insufficiency, migraine (mild vertigo in repeated attacks occasionally strong vertigo
What are the common causes of vertigo for a few hours?
Meniere’s syndrome -> intense vertigo and nausea, hearing disturbance, pressure in repeated attacks
What are the common causes of vertigo for a few days?
Vestibular neuritis -> intense vertigo+ nausea, hearing disturbance in isolated attack; herpes scarpa’s ganglion, infarction of labyrinth
What are the common causes of fluctuating/continuous vertigo?
Uncompensated vestibular lesion (mild vertigo+nausea), functional (mild vertigo+disproportionate disability
What are the common causes of silent vertigo?
Acoustic neuroma: mild imbalance, tinnitus, hearing loss
What is the use of the vestibular ocular reflex?
Only eye movement control that can stabilise the eyes during high frequency oscillation -> intensity can be shown by rapid head shaking
What is the head rotation test?
Rapid head rotation separately to right and left whilst patient views examiner’s eye; during rotation towards the intact labyrinth the patient maintains fixation; during rotation towards lesioned labyrinth the patient looses fixation, eyes go with the head and after the movement the patient makes saccades back to the fixation point
What are the vestibulo-ocular pathways?
Sup and medial vestibular neurons project to motor nuclei supplying extraocular muscles; axons ascend in the MLF and excite the ipsilateral oculomotor nucleus and contralateral abducens nucleus
What is the vestibulo-ocular reflex?
When the head rotates to the left, eyes rotate to the right and saccade to the left;
VOR operates to maintain the gaze on a selected target
What is the anatomy of the bones of the orbit?
x
What is the anatomy of the outer eye?
What is the function of the lacrimal system?
Tear production ->
- basal tears (constant level of production),
- reflex tears in response to irritation (afferent - cornea CNV1 and efferent - PSNS with ACh),
- emotional tears
How does the lacrimal system work?
Tear produced by lacrimal gland, tear drains through the two puncta, opening on medial lid margin; lid flows through the superior and inferior cannaliculi; tear gathers in the tear sac and exits through the tear duct into the nose cavity
What is the function of the tear film?
Maintains smooth cornea air-surface -> helps O2 supply to cornea as there are no blood vessels on the cornea; Removes debris (tear film and blinking), bactericide
What are the layers of the tear film?
- Superficial oily layer to reduce tear film evaporation (produced by row of meibomian glands along the lid margins),
- aqueous tear film (tear gland),
- mucinous layer on the corneal surface to maintain surface wetting
What is the conjunctiva?
Thin transparent tissue that covers the outer surface of the eye -> begins at outer edge of cornea, covers visible part of eye and lines the inside of eyelids
What is the supply of the conjunctiva?
Nourished by tiny blood vessels that are nearly invisible to naked eye
What is the inner eye anatomy?
What are the layers that coat the eye?
Eye measures 24mm in adults (anteroposterior diameter) -> 3 layers: Sclera = hard and opaque; Choroid = pigmented and vascular; Retina = neurosensory tissue
What is the sclera?
White of the eye -> tough, opaque tissue that serves as eye’s protective outer coat with a high water content