Pinna
A funnel shaped part of the ear and ends at tympanic membrane. It is responsible for collecting sounds. It is the first part of the ear that the sound waves reach.
What are the three bones in the middle ear?
Hammer, Anvil, Stirrup
Cochlea
A coiled, bony, fluid- filled tube in the inner ear that triggers neural impulses to the brain.
Auditory nerve
sends messages to the thalamus, which are sent to the auditory cortex in the temporal lobe.
Place theory
Links pitch with the location of the basilar membrane, and it is simulated because certain hair cells are attuned to certain pitches.
Frequency theory
States that the “rate of neural impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense its pitch” .
Sensorineural hearing loss
NERVE DEAFNESS. It is caused by damage to the cochlea’s cells or damage to the auditory nerve.
Conduction hearing loss
It is caused by damage to the system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea.
Outer ear functions
gather, concentrate, and amplify, sound waves.
Basic anatomical components of the ear
Pinna, bones of the middle ear, cochlea of the inner ear.
Elements of sound
Pitch, Amplitude, and Timbre
Frequency
the number of complete wavelengths that pass a certain point in one second.
What does frequency determines?
Frequency determines the pitch, which is how high or low a sound is. The shorter the frequency, the higher the pitch.
Cochlear implant
A device used to covert sounds into neural impulses. It restores the sense of hearing, but it is not very effective in adults.
Auditory canal
A tube that connects the pinna and the tympanic membrane.
Intensity
the loudness of sound.
Middle ear
A chamber between eardrum and cochlea. It contains three tiny bones (hammer, anvil, and stirrup).
Inner ear
contains cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs.