Vestibular System Flashcards
what does the vestibular apparatus consist of?
3 semi-circular canals
the utricle
the saccule
which of the ampulla, utricle and saccule contains sensory hair cells?
all of them
what are the otolith organs?
the utricle and saccule
what are the functions of the otolith organs?
> detect linear acceleration
> encode information about the position of the head in space
what does the utricle detect?
back and front tilt
what does the saccule detect?
vertical movement
what do the semicircular canals detect?
rotational acceleration
where are the sensory cells of the semi-circular canals located?
in the swellings at the base of the semi circular canals: ampulla
what is in the ampulla?
sensory receptors called cristae that consist of flexible gelatinous structures called cupula that stretch across the entire width of the ampulla
what do the cristae respond to?
movement of the endolymph fluid within the canals
what are imbedded in the cupula?
cilia of hair cells
what does the hair cell cilia in the cupula synapse with?
directly to the sensory neurons of the vestibular nerve CNVIII
name the two types of hair cells
> Kinocilium
> stereocilia
describe the kinocilium
single and very large
describe the stereocilia
smaller and multiple