PHYSIOLOGY OF

AUDITORY & VESTIBULAR

SYSTEM
Ratna Kusumawati
Bagian/Lab. Fisiologi
Fakultas Kedokteran Universitas Sebelas Maret
What is the physical stimulus for audition?

Sound- vibrations of the molecules in a

medium like air.

The hearing spectrum for humans is

approximately between 20 to 20,000 Hz.
3 basic physical properties of
sound
1. Amplitude: intensity of sound

2. Frequency: cycles per second

3. Complexity: shape of wave

 Parts of the Ear
Auris externa/Outer Ear :
1. Auricula/Pinna collects & funnels sound waves
into our auditory canal.

2. Meatus Acusticus Externus/ Auditory canal: the

length & shape cause it to resonate in response to
frequencies entering the ear.

Function auris externa:

Amplification / Filtering
Protection
Localization
 Auris media

1. Tympanic membrane (eardrum)

2. The ossicles/ossicula auditoria: malleus (hammer),
incus (anvil), & stapes (stirrup) transmit the
vibration to the inner ear.
- stapes triggers vibrations of the oval window which
moves the fluid of the cochlea.
Lining is mucous membrane
Tympanic Membrane separates it from EAC
Eustachian tube connects it to nasopharynx
Also Connected to cellulae mastoideae
Auris media/The Middle Ear

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Function auris media:
Impedance Matching
Filtering
Acoustic Reflex
 Auris Interna/Inner Ear
1. Cochlea: is the snail-shaped structure that contains the
auditory receptors.

The cochlea has 3 fluid filled chambers:

- scala vestibuli, scala tympani, & scala media.

Within the cochlea is the Organ of Corti.

This structure is composed of the basilar
membrane on which the hair cells are located & the
tectorial membrane which rests above it.

2. vestibulum, canales semicirculares sistem

vestibuler
Auris interna
Anatomy of the Cochlea

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Auris interna
Anatomy of the Cochlea

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 ENDOLIMFE SIMILAR INTRACELLULAR FLUID
PERILIMFE SIMILAR CSF
MEMBRAN VESTIBULAR Memisahkan antara
endolimfe dgn perilimfe , membantu
mempertahankan perbedaan komposisi kimia
antara keduanya
ORGANON CORTI : epithelium of sensory and
supporting cell & assosiated membran.
convert vibration into nerve impulses
The Structure of the Auditory System

Auditory pathway stages

Sound waves
Tympanic membrane

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Ossicles
Oval window
Cochlea fluid
Sensory neuron response
Brain (central)
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Three major subsystems:
- Conductive,
- Sensorineural
- Central
Three major subsystems:
- Conductive,
- Sensorineural
- Central
A. Conductive: auricula MAE MT ossicula
audiitiva & auris media bones
Functions:
(1) transmission
MT vibrates in response to sound waves
changes acoustical energy to mechanical
energy
mechanical vibration picked up at the MT is transmitted
to the fluid-filled cochlea by way of the ossicles/ossicula
auditiva.
(2) Impedance matching
Stapedius Muscle
Attaches to stapes
Contracts in response to loud sounds reduce
loudness the Acoustic Reflex
Three major subsystems:
- Conductive,
- Sensorineural
- Central
B.Sensorineural: Cochlea (part of the inner ear) and
auditory nerve (N cranialis VIII).
Functions:
(1) Transduction: Transducers convert energy of a
different form Receptors in the cochlea (hair cells)
convert mechanical energy (the energy of vibration)
into neurochemical energy (nerve impulses).
(2) Spectrum analysis: Breaking a complex sound into
its individual frequency components.
(3) Transmission: The nerve impulses are transmitted
to the CNS via the auditory nerve.
Physiology of the Cochlea
Pressure at oval window pushes perilymph into scala vestibuli round
window membrane bulges out
Auris interna
The Organ of Corti

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 Auris Interna

The Basilar Membrane

Structural properties:
Wider at apex, stiffness
decreases from base to

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apex

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The Inner
Ear

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Transduction by Hair Cells
Sound:
Basilar membrane
upward

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reticular lamina up
stereocilia bends
outward

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Three major subsystems:
- Conductive,
- Sensorineural
- Central
C. Central: Brain stem and auditory cortex.

Functions:
- sound localization & perception,
- recognition, integration, and interpretation.
Auditory Cortex
Encoding Sound
Intensity and Frequency
Phase Locking
Consistent firing of
cell at same sound
wave phase
Mechanisms of
Sound Localization
A given binaural neuron
indicates the amount of
phase disparity between
inputs from the left and
right ear.
Auditory
Pathway

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 The Vestibular System
Importance of Vestibular System
Balance, equilibrium, posture, head, body, eye movement
Vestibular Apparatus
Utricle and saccule provide info about linear acceleration
Semicircular canals, oriented in 3 planes, give sense of angular
acceleration
Utricle and Saccule

Have a macula that

contains hair cells
Hair cells embedded
in gelatinous otolithic
membrane
contains calcium
carbonate crystals
(otoliths) that resist
change in
movement
Utricle and Saccule

Utricle sensitive to
horizontal acceleration
Hairs pushed backward
during forward
acceleration

Saccule sensitive to
vertical acceleration
Hairs pushed upward
when person descends
The Vestibular
System

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The Vestibular System

The Otolith Organs

The Vestibular System
The Otolith Organs
Neural Pathways for Equilibrium and Balance
TERIMA KASIH