The Special Senses

The special Senses
EYE,EAR
By Sara Dilshad
• The special senses of hearing, sight, smell and taste all
have specialised sensory receptors (nerve endings) outside the brain.
These are found in the ears, eyes, nose and
mouth.
• The ear is also involved in the maintenance of
balance.
• In the brain the incoming nerve impulses
undergo complex processes of integration and coordination that result
in perception of sensory information and
a variety of responses inside and outside the body.
The Ear
• The ear is the organ of hearing. It is supplied by the 8th
cranial nerve, i.e. the cochlear part of the vestibulocochlear
nerve which is stimulated by vibrations caused by sound
waves.
With the exception of the auricle (pinna), the structures
that form the ear are encased within the petrous portion
of the temporal bone
• Structure
The ear is divided into three distinct parts
• outer ear
• middle ear(tympanic cavity)
• inner ear
• Outer ear
The outer ear consists of the auricle (pinna)
• The external acoustic meatus
The auricle (pinna)
•
The auricle is the expanded portion projecting from the
side of the head.
• It is composed of fibroelastic cartilage covered with skin.
• It is deeply grooved and ridged and the
most prominent outer ridge is the helix.
The lobule (earlobe) is the soft pliable part at the lower
extremity, composed of fibrous and adipose tissue richly
supplied with blood.
• Pinna cannot move
External acoustic meatus
(auditory canal)
•
This is a slightly 'S'-shaped tube about 2.5cm long
extending from the auricle to the tympanic membrane
(eardrum).
• The lateral third is cartilaginous
remainder is a canal in the temporal bone
• The meatus is lined with skin containing hairs continuous with that of
the auricle.
• There are numerous sebaceous and ceruminous
glands in the skin of the lateral third.
• Ceruminous glands are modified sweat glands that secrete cerumen (wax)
Middle ear The tympanic membrane
(eardrum)
• completely
separates the external acoustic meatus from the middle
ear.
• It is oval-shaped with the slightly broader edge
upwards
• is formed by three types of tissue:
• the outer covering of hairless skin,
• the middle layer of fibrous tissue
• the inner lining of mucous membrane continuous with
that of the middle ear.
• Middle ear (tympanic cavity)
This is an irregular-shaped air-filled cavity within the
petrous portion of the temporal bone.
• The cavity, its contents and the air sacs which open out of it are lined
with either simple squamous or cuboidal epithelium
• The medial wall is a thin layer of temporal bone in
which there are two openings:
• oval window occluded by part of a small bone
called the stapes
• round window by a fine sheet

of fibrous tissue.
• Pharyngotympanic (auditory or Eustachian) tube which extends from the
nasopharynx
Auditory ossicles (
These are three very small bones that extend across the
middle ear from the tympanic membrane to the oval window
• They form a series of movable joints
• They are named according to their shapes.
The malleus. This is the lateral hammer-shaped bone.
The handle is in contact with the tympanic membrane
and the head forms a movable joint with the incus.
•
The incus. This is the middle anvil-shaped bone.
• The stapes.
• This is the medial stirrup-shaped bone.
Its head articulates with the incus and its footplate fits
into the oval window
• Inner ear
The inner (internal) ear or labyrinth (meaning 'maze') ear
contains the organs of hearing and balance.
• It is generally described in two parts,
• The bony labyrinth
• The membranous labyrinth
• The bony labyrinth consists of:
• 1 vestibule
• 1 cochlea
• 3semicircular canals.
• The vestibule.
• This is the expanded part nearest the
middle ear.
• It contains the oval and round windows in its
lateral wall.
• The cochlea.
• This resembles a snail's shell.
• It has a broad base where it is continuous with the vestibule and a
narrow apex, and it spirals round a central bony column.
The semicircular canals. These are three tubes
arranged so that one is situated in each of the three
planes of space. They are continuous with the vestibule
`
• Membranous labyrinth
This contains endolymph and lies within its bony counterpart. It
comprises:
• the vestibule, which contains the utricle and saccule
• the cochlea
• three semicircularcanals
• The cochlea
A cross-section of the cochlea contains three
compartments:
• the scala vestibuli
• the scala media, or cochlear duct
• thescala tympani.
In cross-section the bony cochlea has two compartments
containing perilymph: the scala vestibuli, which originates at the oval window, and the
scala tympani, which
ends at the round window. The two compartments are
continuous with each other. T
• he cochlear duct s part of the membranous labyrinth

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