The Ear Flashcards
The ear is composed of?
Bone
Cartilage
Ligament
Tendon
Flexible, though age related changes
What level of the speech chain is the ear involved in?
The perception level
The perception level is based around the role of the ear
Where does the structure of the ear sit?
Within the temporal bone
What is the ears role?
To analyse sound according to changes in frequency across time
How do sounds change?
In amplitude and mode of transmission
Where to sounds travel through?
Outer, middle, cochlea and auditory tube
What does the outer ear do?
Works as a transmitter or receiver- particular shape which can move sound particles to hole of ear
What is the outer ear composed of?
The pinna and the auricle
What is the auricle made up of?
Cartilage and fat tissue, it is the hole of the ear
What does the external auditory meatus contain?
Glands which produce wax
What is the external auditory meatus surrounded by?
Cartilage initially and then bone
What is the external auditory meatus?
The ear canal
What is the ear canal aka external auditory meatus?
A tube or channel- 2 half centimetres long and slightly curved. It filters out any dust and also amplifies sound waves. Conducts partially with high frequency sounds, helps distinguish between fricatives
Conducts sound energy
Where does the external auditory meatus end?
At the ear drum tympanic membrane
Describe the era drum tympanic membrane
Very thin
Layer of skin
Layer of mucous membrane
Layer of fibrous tissue
Ear particles reflect against what?
Tympanic bone like a drum- with higher frequencys different areas of the ear drum vibrate- with this sound is a series of vibrations
What is another name for the middle ear?
Tympanic cavity
What is the middle ear?
Auditory tube to nasopharynx
What is within the tympanic cavity?
A series of bones and a few ligaments
What does the middle ear create?
A channel of air between the nasopharynx and the middle ear
What is the main job of the tympanic cavity
To deal with the vibrations of the ear drum
There are 3 ossicles of the middle ear- what are they?
Malleus aka hammer
Incus aka anvil
Stapes aka stirrup
What does ossicle mean?
Tiny bone
What does the malleus connect to?
Ear drum
The three ossicles connect up and do what?
Act like a lever between the two points
What are the ossicles stabilised by?
Ligaments that attach themselves to the wall of the middle ear-they can move and vibrate but we can also use muscles to stop them vibrating-if sound is too loud by using muscles of the middle ear
Ossicles increase movement of what?
Muscles
Ossicles act as?
Bridge between air movements in the outer ear and fluid movements in the inner ear
What are the two jobs of the bones?
Amplify sound waves and also help produce these movements
What are the two muscles of the middle ear?
Tensor tympani - reduction of vibration
Stapedius
What is the function of the tensor tympani and Stapedius?
Reduce the vibrations of these small bones (ossicles) and tighten them up so they cannot move as freely
What is the oval window?
Opening into the middle ear
The inner ear (bony labyrinth) is made up of?
Cochlear
Ova window
Semi-circular canals
Vestibule
The semi circular canals of the inner ear are fluid contained and have hair cells. What do they signal?
Head movement- responds to movement of the head and sends signal back to brain
The cochlear in the inner ear…
Oral window vibrates and this disturbs the fluid within the cochlea which goes into result in vibrations of the floor of cochlea
What is the floor of the cochlea?
Basilar membrane- these are what we think of as sensory receptors
Movement of hair cells will travel along the auditory nerve to the
Auditory cortex of the brain
The floor of the cochlea is a basilar membrane and attaches to
Organ of corti (rows of hair cells)
