Ear
Tensor tympani
Protective muscle that prevents damage to inner ear by moving malleus from tympanic membrane
tympanic duct
carries waves down to the round window to relieve pressure. contains perilymph.
vestibular duct
carries waves set up by oval window vibrations. contains perilymph.
Bony labyrinth
cavity within the temporal bone filled with perilymph & containing the membranous labyrinth
External ear
from the environment to the Tympanic membrane; includes pinna and external auditory meatus
Tympanic cavity
middle ear; houses the auditory ossicles; located within the temporal bone
vestibule
middle part of the inner ear in front of the semicircular canals and behind the cochlea that contains the utricle and saccule
Ceruminous glands
modified sweat glands, located in external ear canal, secretes cerumen (earwax)
posterior semicircular canal
Back circular canal off cochlea, up and down.
cupula
A gelatin-like structure containing a tuft of hairlike sensory receptor cells in the semicircular canals.
tectorial membrane
A membrane located above the basilar membrane; serves as a shelf against which the cilia of the auditory hair cells move
crista ampullaris
A specialized receptor located within the semicircular canals that detects head movements
anterior semicircular canal
Front circular canal off cochlea, up and down as in nodding head yes.
Otoliths
Grains of calcium carbonate
lateral semicircular canal
Horizontal circular canal off cochlea, left to right as is shaking head no.
cochlear duct
Membrane tube in cochlea, filled with fluid that vibrates when sound waves are transmitted by the stapes.
Vestibulocochlear Nerve
NVIII; contains the vestibular nerve, which monitors sensations of balance, position, movement and the cochlear nerve, which monitors hearing receptors
Stapedius muscle
Smallest muscle in the body; moves stapes to avoid large sounds from reaching the inner ear
Tympanic membrane
The eardrum. A structure that separates the outer ear from the middle ear and vibrates in response to sound waves.
round window
The membrane that relieves pressure from the vibrating waves in the cochlear fluid.
Nasopharynx
The part of the throat behind the nose
Weber Test
Used to ascertain if a person's deafness is due to conduction disturbance or sensorineural loss. The base of a vibrating tuning fork is placed at the top of the head in the midline. If the person's deafness is due to conduction disturbance in the right ear, the sound from a vibrating tuning fork will be heard louder in the same (right) ear. If the person's deafness is due to sensorineural loss in the right ear, the sound will be louder in the left ear.
Ossicles
bones of the middle ear that carry sound vibrations
cochlea
a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear through which sound waves trigger nerve impulses
Acuity Test
a test for determining a subject's ability to hear a vibrating tuning fork when it is held next to the ear and when it is placed on the mastoid process with diminished hearing acuity through air and somewhat heightened hearing acuity through bone being symptomatic of conduction deafness.
Rinne Test
a test for determining a subject's ability to hear a vibrating tuning fork when it is held next to the ear and when it is placed on the mastoid process with diminished hearing acuity through air and somewhat heightened hearing acuity through bone being symptomatic of conduction deafness.
incus
anvil; middle of the three auditory ossicles of the middle ear
vestibulocochlear nerve
contains the vestibular nerve, which monitors movement and the cochlear nerve, which monitors hearing receptors
Lobule
earlobe
Auditory Tube
either of the paired tubes connecting the middle ears to the nasopharynx
external auditory meatus
external passage for sounds collected from the pinna to the tympanum
malleus
hammer; first of the three auditory ossicles of the middle ear
Sound Localization
knowing direction of sound
utricle
larger of two sacs within the membranous labyrinth of the vestibule in the inner ear
Maculae
location of hair cell clusters in the saccule and utricle; where their cilia contact otoliths consisting of statoconia in a gelatinous matrix
Oval window
membrane at the enterance to the cochlea through which the ossicles transmit vibrations
basilar membrane
membrane supporting the organ of Corti and hair cells in the cochlea
Otitis media
middle ear infection
vestibular membrane
separates the cochlear duct from the scala vestibuli
saccule
smaller of two sacs within the membranous labyrinth of the vestibule in the inner ear (sacculus = small bag)
endolymphatic sac
termination point of endolymphatic duct
Romberg Test
test for inability to maintain body balance when eyes are closed and feet are together, indication of spinal cord disease
Middle ear
the chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea's oval window
ampulla
the dilated portion of a canal or duct especially of the semicircular canals of the ear
Pinna
the externally visible cartilaginous structure of the external ear
organ of Corti
the hearing organ of the inner ear
Inner ear
the innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs
stapes
the stirrup-shaped ossicle that transmits sound from the incus to the cochlea
Otolithic membrane
thick, gelatinous, glycoprotein layer located directly over hair cells of the macula in the saccule and uricle of the internal ear
semicircular canals
three loops of the fluid-filled tubes that are attached to the cochlea; They help us with our sense of balance