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Flashcards in Normal hearing Deck (31)
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1
Q

How do sound waves travel through the ear?

A
  • Sound waves travel through the ear canal, are conducted through the middle ear and are converted to an electrical signal in the inner ear
  • There are three bones in the middle ear to conduct sound waves as vibrations: malleus, incus and stapes
2
Q

Structures found in the middle ear

A

Tympanic membrane, oval and round windows, the facial, chorda and tympani nerves, the stapedius and tensor tympani muscles, the Eustachian tube and air

3
Q

What is found in the inner ear?

A

The inner ear is full of fluid spaces, membrane structures and hair structures to convert mechanical vibrations into electrical energy

4
Q

3 fluid spaces in the inner ear

A

Scala vestibuli/tympani/media

5
Q

What are the Scala vestibuli and tympani made of?

A

Perilymph

6
Q

What is the Scala media formed from?

A

Endolymph - lots of potassium

7
Q

What are the tips of hair cells bathed in in Scala media?

A

Endolymph

8
Q

Three important structures in the inner ear

A

Basilar membrane, tectorial membrane and organ of Corti

9
Q

How do inner hair cells help us to hear?

A

Transduce mechanical energy of sound into electrical activity for brain

10
Q

Where are stereo cilia found?

A

On top of hair cells

11
Q

How are stereo cilia joined?

A

Tip links

12
Q

How do waves of vibration cause an AP?

A

Make hair cells bend

13
Q

What is the pitch of a noise?

A

Frequency of signal

14
Q

How does pitch determine where a noise is detected?

A

Higher frequencies are detected closer to base of basilar membrane, lower frequencies are detected closet to apex

15
Q

Normal hearing range

A

20 to 20000 Hz

16
Q

What is loudness?

A

Amplitude of deflection at given part of cochlea

Depends on amount of pressure exerted by sound waves on tympanic membrane

17
Q

What is a decibel?

A

Logarithmic ratio between two sounds

18
Q

How to calculate decibel difference?

A

10 x log10 (sound 1/sound 2)

19
Q

What does the acoustic reflex do?

A

Dampens down loud noises

20
Q

What does the stampedes do?

A

Contracts in response to loud noise
Pulls footplate away from oval window
Reduces intensity of sound reaching cochlea
Muscle fatigues very quickly and doesn’t protect against loud noise

21
Q

What is bone conduction?

A

Vibration of sound waves go through bones of skull, very slow

22
Q

How to tell if someone has hearing loss

A
  • Bone conduction: vibrations of sound waves go through bones of skull, very slow
  • Louder in front of ear is normal (bone conduction) - conductive change, air is not able to get into inner ear
  • When centre of forehead and the volume is the same in both ears, this is normal and means normal hearing whereas unequal volume means sensory neural deficit
23
Q

What is conductive hearing loss?

A

Outer/middle ear affected - e.g. infection/wax/fluid

24
Q

What is sensorineural hearing loss?

A

Damage to inner ear/brain

e.g. damage to hair cells, nerves

25
Q

What are the types of results from Rinne’s test?

A
  • Normal result: air conduction > bone conduction (Rinne’s positive)
  • Sensorineural deafness: air conduction > bone conduction (Rine’s positive) but both air and bone conduction reduced equally
  • Conductive deafness: bone conduction > air conduction (Rinne’s negative)
26
Q

What are the different results from Weber’s test?

A
  • Normal: sound is heard equally in both ears
  • Sensorineural deafness: sound is heard louder on side of intact ear
  • Conductive deafness: sound is heard louder on side of affected ear
    Middle of forehead
27
Q

Characteristics fo audiogram

A
  • Closer to 0 line indicates better hearing
  • Triangles represent bone conduction, circles represent air conduction
  • Normal audiogram - line is below 20 decibels
28
Q

What does the ampulla do?

A

Contains crista amputaras - senses balance

29
Q

What do the utricle and saccule contain?

A

Endolymph and perilymph

30
Q

How is an AP conducted in crista ampularis?

A

1) Head moves
2) Movement of semicircular canal with body movement
3) Endolymph causes movement of cupula
4) Stereocilia bent by endolymph
5) Tiplinks stretch
6) Ion channels open causes depolarization
7) A.P. in vestibular nerve

31
Q

What do the otolith organs do?

A

Acceleration/gravity causes otoliths to move, creating a shearing effect in the gel matrix that activates the hair cells