The Auditory System Flashcards
When does sound occur?
Sound occurs when vibrations cause pressure changes.
How does sound travel?
Sound travels as waves with phases of increased and decreased pressure.
What determines a sounds frequency?
The number of air pressure change cycles.
What does loudness depend on?
The amplitude of the sound wave.
What is timbre?
When sounds with the same loudness and pitch are perceived as different.
What does timbre depend on?
Frequency and amplitude components.
Where does sound enter the ear?
Through the pinna.
- The pinna channels sound into the auditory (ear) canal.
What separates the outer and middle ear?
The tympanic membrane (eardrum).
What protects the middle ear?
The tympanic membrane (eardrum).
What is the most important structure of the inner ear?
The cochlea.
What is the role of the medial superior olive?
To integrate the signals from each ear to figure out where sounds are coming from.
Which structure in the brain localises where sounds come from?
The inferior colliculus.
What are semicircular canals responsible for?
Balance
What does the bony labyrinth receive inputs about?
- The position of the head in space.
- Angular acceleration of the head.
How is information transduced in the auditory system?
By hair cells.
What is the ultimate function of the vestibular system?
To maintain balance.
(This is why ear infections cause balance problems)
What are the three types of hearing loss?
- Sensorineural hearing loss.
- Mechanical hearing loss.
- Mixed hearing loss.
What is the most common type of sensorineural hearing loss?
- Tinnitus.
- This is due to damage of cochlea hair cells.
What is the most common type of conductive hearing loss?
- Otosclerosis.
- This is due to abnormal growth of the bone in the ossicles.
