Sensory Physiology Flashcards
pinna
external part of ear
shaped to pick up on particular sounds
e.g.) speech recognition & sound localisation
middle ear function
sound amplification
EXTRA INFO
ear drum aka…
the tympanic membrane
EXTRA INFO
middle ear, aka…
the tympanic cavity
EXTRA INFO
3 bones of the middle ear
malleus (hammer)
incus (anvil)
stapes (stirrup)
what are ossicles?
bones in the middle ear
what do the ossicles do?
connect the tympanic membrane to the inner ear, through the oval window
what is in the inner ear that pertains to sound detection (no balance)?
cochlear
what is the organ of corti?
3 components within the cochlear
hair cells
auditory fibres (vestibulocochlear nerve)
other supporting cells
what does the basilar membrane in the cochlear contain and do?
hairs - ranging from short & stiff (high freq.) to long (low.freq.)
capable of reading every sound within range of hearing (200hZ - 20000hZ in humans)
how is sound fine-tuned?
the stiffening and relaxing of the shorter hairs on the basilar membrane of the cochlear
how does sound vibration of hears become an electrical signal?
‘tickle’ organ of corti (in cochlear), cause Na+ channels to open
if enough -> action potential
Sensorineural deafness
From cochlear/ auditory nerve lesions
Central deafness
Caused by brain lesions
Two type of central deafness
Word deafness - cannot recognise spoken word
Cortical deafness - difficulty recognising auditory stimuli
