THE EAR:

HEARING AND BALANCE

• Physiology of Hearing
– Properties of Sound
• Sound is a pressure disturbance produced by a vibrating object and
propagated by the molecules of the medium
• Frequency is the number of waves that pass a given point in a given time
• Amplitude, or height, of the wave reveals a sound’s intensity (loudness)
– Airborne sound entering the external auditory canal strikes the tympanic membrane
and sets it vibrating
– The resonance of the basilar membrane processes sound signals mechanically
before they ever reach the receptors

SOUND
FREQUENCY/AMPLITUDE

SOUND WAVES
THE EAR:
HEARING AND BALANCE
• Physiology of Hearing
– .Transduction of sound stimuli occurs after the trapped stereocilia of the hair cells
are deflected by localized movements of the basilar membrane
– Impulses generated in the cochlea pass through the spiral ganglia, along the
afferent fibers of the cochlear nerve to the cochlear nuclei of the medulla, to the
superior olivary nucleus, to the inferior colliculus, and finally to the auditory cortex
– Auditory processing involves perception of pitch, detection of loudness, and
localization of sound

COCHLEAR HAIRS
AUDITORY PATHWAY

THE EAR:
HEARING AND BALANCE
• Homeostatic Imbalances of hearing
– Deafness is any hearing loss, no matter how slight
– Tinnitus is a ringing or clicking sound in the ears in the absence of auditory
stimuli
– Meniere’s syndrome is a labyrinth disorder that causes a person to suffer
repeated attacks of vertigo, nausea, and vomiting
THE EAR:
HEARING AND BALANCE
• Mechanisms of Equilibrium and Orientation
– The equilibrium sense responds to various head movements and depends on
input from the inner ear, vision, and information from stretch receptors of muscles
and tendons
– The sensory receptors for static equilibrium are the maculae
– The receptor for dynamic equilibrium is the crista ampullaris, found in the ampulla
of the semicircular canals and activated by head movement
– Information from the balance receptors goes directly to reflex centers in the brain
stem, rather that to the cerebral cortex

MACULA
EFFECT OF GRAVITATIONAL PULL ON A MACULA RECEPTOR

CRISTA AMPULLARIS
PATHWAYS OF BALANCE AND ORIENTATION SYSTEM

DEVELOPMENTAL ASPECTS
OF
THE SPECIAL SENSES
• Embryonic and Fetal Development of the Senses
– Smell and taste are fully functional at birth
– The eye begins to develop by the fourth week of embryonic development; vision
is the only special sense not fully functional at birth
– Development of the ear begins in the fourth week of fetal development; at birth
the newborn is able to hear but most responses to sound are reflexive
• Effects of Aging on the Senses
– Around age 40 the sense of smell and taste diminishes due to a gradual loss of
receptors
– Also around age 40 presbyopia begins to set in and with age the lens loses its
clarity and discolors
– By age 60 a noticeable deterioration of the organ of Corti has occurred; the ability
to hear high-pitches sounds is the first loss