Section 4 Flashcards

1
Q

The ear is divided into three sections:

A
  • inner ear
  • middle ear
  • external ear
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2
Q

Describe briefly the external ear

A
  • represents the structure of the ear you can touch
  • sound waves from the environment travel through the external auditory canal to reach the tympanic membrane, causing it to vibrate
  • ceruminous glands are microscopic and secrete ear wax
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3
Q

What is the tympanic membrane?

A
  • AKA the eardrum
  • marks the boundary between the external and middle ear
  • transmits sound from the external environment to the ossicles of the middle ear
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4
Q

What impact is the perforated tympanic membrane likely to have on hearing?

A
  • The effect is decreased or disrupted hearing
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5
Q

Briefly describe the middle ear

A
  • located within the temporal lobe
  • spans from the tympanic membrane to the oval window
  • sound waves involved with hearing are also transmitted through the middle ear
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6
Q

Describe the parts of the middle ear

A
  • Ossicles: small bones located in the middle ear
  • Tympanic cavity: chamber in the temporal bone
  • Round and oval windows: Areas at which the middle ear connects to the inner ear
  • Eustachian tube: Connects the middle ear to the nasopharynx
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7
Q

What are the ossicles, and what muscles are attaches to them?

A
  • The ossicles are three small bones located in the middle ear
  • they help transmit sound waves to the receptors in the inner ear
  • the muscles attached to the ossicles (the tensor tympani and the stapedius) function to dampen very loud noises
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8
Q

What are the three ossicles?

A
  • Malleus (hammer): the most lateral ossicle that is attached to and behind the tympanic membrane
    -Incus (anvil): sits between the malleus and the stapes
  • Stapes (stirrup): the smallest bone and sits in the oval window. It is about 1/3 the mass of the other ossicles. (also looks like a stirrup)
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9
Q

What are the labyrinths, and where are they?

A
  • Both the cochlea and vestibular apparatus are structured as two channels in the bone, called labyrinths (the membranous and bony labyrinths)
  • the membranous labyrinth is within the bony labyrinth
  • both labyrinths are filled with fluids that allow us to hear (cochlea) or become aware of and monitor the position of our head (vestibular apparatus)
  • the membranous labyrinth is filled with endolymph and the bony labyrinth is filled with perilymph
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10
Q

What is the vestibular apparatus and what is it composed of?

A
  • The vestibular apparatus contains the receptors for equilibrium
  • Composed of three structures:
    1. semicircular canals: detect rotational movement (head moving up and down, side to side and tilting)
    2. utricle
    3. saccule: detect positional movement (head moving from one point in space to another, with respect to gravity and linear acceleration)
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11
Q

What is the cochlea and what is it composed of?

A
  • contains the receptors for hearing
  • composed of three ducts: the vestibular duct, the tympanic duct, and the cochlear duct
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12
Q

Describe the organs of Corti

A
  • A specialized structure integral to hearing
  • Found in the cochlear duct of the cochlea
  • made up of specialized cochlear hair cells that rest on a basilar membrane
  • when the membrane is moved by sound waves, the hair cells fire an impulse, which is sent to the brain via CN VIII for interpretation
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