Cochlear Anatomy
This structure is shaped like a snail shell and converts sound waves into neural impulses.
What is the cochlea?
These are sounds generated by the inner ear (either spontaneous or in response to sound) that can be measured to analyze hair cell functioning.
What are otoacoustic emissions (OAEs)?
These are the basic cells of the brain and nervous system.
What are neurons?
These peripheral nerves emerge from the brain/brainstem and control essential sensory and motor functions.
What are the cranial nerves?
These opposite ends of the cochlea respond best to either low or high frequencies, respectively.
What are the apex (low frequency) and the base (high frequency)?
This refers to the exaggerated displacement of the basilar membrane around specific characteristic frequencies.
What is the cochlear amplifier?
What type of neurons bring messages to the brain from the body?
What are afferent neurons?
This cranial nerve is responsible for transmitting sound between the cochlea and the brain, as well as maintaining our sense of balance.
What is CNVIII, the vestibulocochlear nerve?
This kind of frequency-based organization is present in the cochlea and throughout the rest of the auditory system.
What is tonotopic organization?
This theory states that our brains identify sounds based on the location along the basilar membrane that the sound vibrates most at.
What type of neurons carry messages away from the brain and to the body?
What are efferent nerves?
These two main fibers of CNVIII send information about hearing and balance respectively.
What are the cochlear nerve and the vestibular nerve?
This type of hair cell acts as the primary sensory receptor for sound.
What are the inner hair cells?
This theory states that our brains identify sounds based on the rate of neural firing by the auditory nerve.
What is temporal theory?
What chemical substances allow neurons to communicate with one another by transmitting electrical signals?
What are neurotransmitters?
Similar to the cochlea, CNVIII has neurons that process high frequencies on the outside, and neurons that process low frequencies on the inside, meaning it has this kind of organization.
What is tonotopic organization?
This type of hair cell acts as the primary amplifiers for sound.
What are the outer hair cells?
This type of OAE is best to use for newborn hearing screenings as they offer fast and generalized info about outer hair cell function.
What is transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions?
What part of a neuron actually receives the electrical signals from other neurons?
What are the dendrites?
Audiologists use this type of test to determine the if the auditory nerve is functioning normally.
What is auditory brainstem response (ABR)?