Auditory System and Function Quiz

It's the ability to perceive changes in head movement, like acceleration and deceleration, as well as the head's orientation relative to gravity.

This bone houses and protects most of the hearing system's components, including the outer, middle, and inner ears, as well as the 7th and 8th cranial nerves.

It's like a funnel, collecting sound waves and slightly amplifying frequencies around 5 kHz.

This means higher frequencies are collected more effectively due to the ear's ridges and grooves.

This effect happens because your head blocks sound waves reaching the ear on the opposite side, making it quieter.

It's about 2.5-3 cm long and 0.75 cm wide, starting at the concha and ending at the eardrum.

It's the eardrum, a thin membrane that vibrates when sound waves hit it.

This is the air-filled space in the middle ear that changes how low-frequency sounds travel.

Sound waves entering the ear cause the basilar membrane to move upwards, resulting in hair cell depolarization.

Sound waves entering the ear cause the basilar membrane to move downwards, resulting in hair cell hyperpolarization.

The inner ear generates sounds in response to sound stimuli. They indicate a healthy cochlea and can be spontaneous or triggered.

When damaged, this structure impairs the transmission of sound information to the brain, causing significant hearing loss.

When damaged, this structure affects sound amplification, leading to reduced sensitivity to quieter sounds and potential distortion.

Normal Acoustic Reflex threshold is initiated at 70-90 dB HL at 500 Hz, 1KHz, and 2KHz.

The acoustic reflex is strongest when both ears are stimulated simultaneously.

Acoustic Decay refers to the decay of the acoustic reflex over time. A positive decay can indicate a retrocochlear lesion (tumor or pathology behind the cochlea).

The stapedius muscle is innervated by the facial nerve (CN VII), while the tensor tympani muscle is innervated by the trigeminal nerve (CN V).

The cochlea is a bony snail-shaped structure with 2.2-2.9 turns. It is located in the petrous part of the temporal bone. It contains two fluids: endolymph and perilymph, and three membranes: basilar, tectorial, and Reissner's.

The basilar membrane and Reissner's membrane divide the cochlea into three ducts: Scala Vestibuli, Scala Media, and Scala Tympani.

The basal portion of the cochlea is responsible for processing high frequencies (HFs). It is narrow and stiff. The apical portion of the cochlea is responsible for processing low frequencies (LFs). It is wide and less stiff.

The promontory is a bony structure between the oval and round windows that provides protection. It is where the stapes footplate connects to the oval window.

The scala vestibuli is the upper duct filled with perilymph. It is connected to the oval window and the stapes footplate.

The scala media is the middle duct filled with endolymph. It houses the Organ of Corti, the sensory organ of hearing.

The ability of the outer hair cells (OHCs) to change their length in response to sound, which amplifies sound signals and improves hearing sensitivity.

When OAEs are absent, it indicates damage to the outer hair cells, which are crucial for hearing.

A type of electrical potential recorded from the cochlea that is a direct current potential generated by hair cells.

The organized arrangement of neurons within the auditory pathway, where neurons responding to specific sound frequencies are located in specific areas.

A system that integrates information from the vestibular, visual, and somatosensory systems to maintain balance and spatial orientation

A type of electrical potential recorded from the cochlea that reflects the summed activity of hair cells along the basilar membrane in response to sound.

The minimal sound intensity a person with normal hearing can detect 50% of the time for each frequency.

The amount of energy transmitted per second through one square meter of area.

The ability of an object to resist changes in shape and volume.

The gravitational force exerted on an object's mass by planets like Earth, Mars, or the moon.

The amount of matter in a substance.

A change in sound pressure over time.

An average shift of 10 dB or more in either ear at frequencies of 2,000, 3,000, and 4,000 Hertz.

A hearing test done when an employee starts a job, to establish their baseline hearing ability.

Three bony loops in the inner ear that detect head rotation. They are called the horizontal, posterior, and superior canals.

A rounded, fluid-filled bulge at the end of each semicircular canal. It contains sensory hair cells that detect rotational movement.

Specialized sensory structures in the inner ear responsible for detecting linear acceleration and gravity. There are two types: utricular and saccular maculae.

The gelatinous membrane covering the hair cells in the ampulla. It helps to detect rotational movement by bending the hair cells.

A structure in the ampulla containing hair cells that detect head rotation. It is located on a mound of supporting cells.

Sensory hair cells that contribute to the vestibular system's functions. They are located in the ampulla and otolithic organs.

These are the 3 semicircular canals on one side of the head are paired with the 3 canals on the other side, but in a mirror image. For example, the right horizontal canal is paired with the left horizontal canal.

Similar to the paired semicircular canals, the otolithic organs (utricular and saccular maculae) also function in pairs to sense linear acceleration and gravity. This arrangement helps maintain balance and stability.