The Physiology of Hearing and Balance

Question 1

describe the pathway of hearing

Answer 1

Ear canal			
tympanic membrane 			
ossicles
Cochlea			
cochlear nerve				
auditory cortex

Question 2

give the two types of hearing loss?

Answer 2

Conductive

Sensorineural

Question 3

what is conductive hearing loss?

Answer 3

occurs when there is a problem conducting sound waves through outer ear, tympanic membrane, or middle ear

Question 4

what is sensorineural hearing loss?

Answer 4

root cause lies in sensory organ (cochlea and associated structures) or the neural part (cranial nerve VIII)

Question 5

what part does the cochlea play in hearing?

Answer 5

Hair cells within the Organ of Corti produce electrical activity (endolymph, perilymph)

This activity becomes a neural impulse and travels to the brain via the cochlear nerve VIII

Question 6

at what threshold is there no sound?

Answer 6

0 db SPL

Question 7

at what threshold do you feel pain via sound?

Answer 7

130 db SPL

Question 8

Conductive losses tend to predominate in which level of frequencies?

Answer 8

low

Question 9

Sensorineural losses tend to predominate in which level of frequencies?

Answer 9

high

Question 10

what does an Audiometry test measure?

Answer 10

tests your ability to hear amplitude or intensity of sound and frequency
(subjective)

Question 11

what does a Tympanometry test measure?

Answer 11

Measure of tympanic membrane compliance involving middle ear and ear canal pressure
(canal pressure should equal middle ear pressure)

Question 12

what is the Tympanometry test useful for detecting?

Answer 12

Eustachian tube dysfunction

Middle ear effusion (glue-ear)

Question 13

after what age, will children be unable to speak when born deaf, even if the hearing is restored?

Answer 13

approx age of 4