Unit 2 Flashcards
Outer Ear
Pinna
Part of external ear between pinna and tympanum
ear canal
thin membranous tissue between external and middle ear
tympanic membrane
AKA eardrum
a long air-filled cavity that connects the middle ear to the nasopharynx
what is its function?
Eustachian tube
AKA internal auditory canal
- equilibrates pressure in the middle ear during chewing, swallowing and yawning
3 parts of middle ear
- tympanic membrane
- bony ossicles
- Eustachian tube
what are the 3 bony ossicles in order from external to internal?
- Malleus
- Incus
- Stapes (touches oval window)
What are the three parts of the internal ear and their sense functions?
- Cochlea (hearing)
- Vestibule (vertical and horizontal acceleration and tilting)
- Semicircular Canals (rotation of head in various planes)
Where do the bony ossicles meet the internal ear and how do they function there?
- the stapes meets the cochlea at the oval window
- the ossicles transmit vibrations from the tympanic membrane to the oval window
What are the three chambers of the cochlea (top to bottom)?
What separates them?
What do they contain?
scala vestibula - perilymph
Reissner’s membrane - btwn vestibula and media
scala media - endolymph (K+ rich), organ of Corti
basilar membrane - btwn media and tympani, below hair cells
scala tympani - perilymph
What is the structure within the scala media that converts vibrations transmitted through the endolymph into graded potentials?
And how does it do this?
Organ of Corti
- Stereocilia on the hair cells bend as they are pushed up against the tectorial membrane
- This bending either opens or closes mechanically gated channels which allow K+ from endolymph in, causing depolarization or hyperpolarization.
- A slow, constant flow of neurotransmitter from the hair cell is either increased or decreased depending on which way the hairs are bent, sending correlating auditory signals to the brain.
What percentage of K+ channels are open by default in hair cells of the organ of Corti?
10%
What is the membrane that sits above the hair cells in the organ of corti and what is it made of?
Tectorial Membrane
- an acellular gel made of collagen and glycoproteins
What are the cells in the organ of corti that create nerve signals from auditory vibrations?
How are they special?
Hair Cells
- modified neurons
- no mitosis
- no axon
- release neurotransmitter
How are different frequencies of sound differentiated by the cochlea?
- by being picked up at different parts along the spiraled length of the cochlea depending on the thickness of the basilar membrane
- high frequencies vibrate the stiffer, thicker region of the membrane near the oval window
- low frequencies vibrate the thinner, more flexible region closer to the helicotrema (end)
what nerve is formed from the axons of nerve cells exiting the cochlea?
Cochlear nerve
What are the two parts of the vestibule and their functions?
What do they contain?
Utricle - sensing horizontal acceleration
Saccule - sensing vertical acceleration
- contain K+ rich endolymph
What is the structure within the two parts of the vestibule that converts axial accelerations of the head into nerve signals?
And its parts?
Macula (of Utricle/Saccule)
- otolithic membrane (w/ crystals)
- hair cells (w/ stereocilia)
- solid membrane
How are the two maculae of the vestibule oriented and how does this contribute to their function?
Saccule is vertically oriented
Utricle is horizontally oriented
- this allows them to pick up accelerations of the head on their respective planes

what are the crystals that sit atop the maculae of the vestibule and contribute to its function by acting as a weight?
**Otoliths **
- made of calcium and proteins
What inner ear organ detects rotational movements of the head?
the semicircular canals
what is the structure within the semicircular canals where rotational movement is translated into action potentials?
Crista Ampullaris
What is the gelatinous mass in the crista ampullaris?
cupula
How does rotational movement affect the crista ampullaris and create an action potential?
1) as head turns, bony and membranous labyrinth walls move
2) inertia causes endolymph within to create drag, bending cupula against direction of rotation
3) Hair cell cilia embedded in the cupula are bent, opening K+ channels and causing depolarization. When bent back the opposite way, hyperpolarization occurs, also sending signals.
What are the three tunics of the eye?
1) Fibrous
2) Vascular
3) Sensory




