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    04 Physiology of The Ear

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    Ajay Bhandarkar
    This document summarizes key aspects of physiology of hearing and equilibrium. It discusses how sound is transmitted through the ear, with the external ear collecting sounds and middle ear acting as an impedance matching mechanism and amplifier. The inner ear converts mechanical vibrations into electrical signals via hair cells and sends them through the auditory pathway in the brain. It also describes the vestibular apparatus containing semicircular canals and maculae that help detect head movements and maintain balance.

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    04 Physiology of The Ear

    Uploaded by

    Ajay Bhandarkar
    512 views33 pages
    This document summarizes key aspects of physiology of hearing and equilibrium. It discusses how sound is transmitted through the ear, with the external ear collecting sounds and middle ear acting as an impedance matching mechanism and amplifier. The inner ear converts mechanical vibrations into electrical signals via hair cells and sends them through the auditory pathway in the brain. It also describes the vestibular apparatus containing semicircular canals and maculae that help detect head movements and maintain balance.

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    This document summarizes key aspects of physiology of hearing and equilibrium. It discusses how sound is transmitted through the ear, with the external ear collecting sounds and middle ear acting as an impedance matching mechanism and amplifier. The inner ear converts mechanical vibrations into electrical signals via hair cells and sends them through the auditory pathway in the brain. It also describes the vestibular apparatus containing semicircular canals and maculae that help detect head movements and maintain balance.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    512 views33 pages

    04 Physiology of The Ear

    Uploaded by

    Ajay Bhandarkar
    This document summarizes key aspects of physiology of hearing and equilibrium. It discusses how sound is transmitted through the ear, with the external ear collecting sounds and middle ear acting as an impedance matching mechanism and amplifier. The inner ear converts mechanical vibrations into electrical signals via hair cells and sends them through the auditory pathway in the brain. It also describes the vestibular apparatus containing semicircular canals and maculae that help detect head movements and maintain balance.

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    Physiology of hearing

     Sound: Compression and rarefaction of


    the air molecules
     Intensity- loudness (amplitude)- decibel
     Frequency- Pitch- hertz (CPS)
     Quality- Timbre- overtones of basic
    frequency
    Sound characteristics

                                                                        
     Audible frequency: 20-20,000 hertz
    (<20: subsonic, >20,000: ultrasonic)
     Speech frequency: 500-3000 hertz
     Pure tone: single frequency sound
     Noise: mixture of multiple frequencies- irregular
    and not orderly (non-harmonic)
     Music: mixture of multiple frequencies- regular
    and orderly- (harmonic)
     Speech: sentences-words-alphabets-made up
    of multiple frequencies
    Parts of the ear

     Conductive apparatus
     Conducts mechanical sound impulse to the
    inner ear
     External and middle ear
     Perceptive apparatus
     Converts mechanical sound impulse into
    electrical impulse and transmits to higher
    centers
     Cochlea
    Role of external ear
     Collection of sound waves by pinna
     Conduction of waves to the tympanic
    membrane
     Resonance of frequency around 4000
    hertz
    Role of middle ear in hearing
     Impedance matching mechanism
    (transformer or amplifier function)
     Preferential sound pressure application
     Resonance of sound frequency around
    2000 hertz
     Equalization of pressure on either sides of
    the tympanic membrane (Eustachian tube)
    Impedance matching mechanism
     Impedance matching: When sound travels
    from air to fluids, amplitude is reduced as
    fluid offers impedance
     Similar situation in the ear: Middle ear to
    cochlear fluids
     Need to compensate for the loss thus
    occurred
     Middle ear amplifies the sound intensity to
    match for the above loss
    How does middle ear act as an
    amplifier?
     Surface area ratio (Hydraulic ratio)
     Tympanic membrane: 55 sq mm
     Stapes foot plate: 3.2 sq mm
     Mechanical advantage: 17 times
     Lever ratio
     Length of handle of malleus versus long
    process of incus- 1.3:1
     Total Mechanical advantage: 17X1.3= 22
     Buckling action of the tympanic membrane
    Preferential sound pressure
    application
     Round window protection
     Sound pressure applied
    to oval window
     Cochlear fluids moves
    from scala vestibuli to
    scala tympani
     Round window
    membrane yields
     Large TM perforation-
    loss of this function
    Role of inner ear- Hydrodynamics
     Converts mechanical
    sound impulse into
    electrical sound impulse
     Sound pressure travels
    from scala vestibuli-
    helicotrema- scala
    tympani- RW membrane
    yields
     Scala media moves up
    and down
    Hair cells

    Normal Damaged
    Auditory pathway

    ACS LIMA
     Auditory nerve
     Cochlear nucleus
     Superior olive nucleus
     Lateral lemniscus
     Inferior colliculus
     Medial geniculate body
     Auditory cortex
    Theories of hearing
     Describes the mode of pitch differentiation
    by the cochlea
     Necessary for speech discrimination

     3 theories

     Helmholtz ‘Place’ theory

     Rutherford’s ‘telephone’ theory

     Wever’s ‘volley’ theory


    Von-Bekesy’s traveling wave
    Physiology of equilibrium
     Balance of the various parts of the body
    during static or dynamic positions are
    maintained by 4 organs
     Vestibular apparatus (inner ear)

     Eye

     Posterior column of the spinal cord

     Cerebellum
    Vestibular apparatus
     Vestibular apparatus of the 2 sides act as one
    unit
     Vestibular fluids move with head movements
     Detects head position and movements needed
    for postural adjustments
     Head movements can be
     Angular acceleration
     Semicircular canals: Cristae
     Linear acceleration
     Utricle and saccule: Maculae
    Arrangement of semicircular canals
    Maculae

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