EAR

Ear is made of three parts. They are

Outer ear Auricle, external auditory meatus, ear drum

Middle ear Consists of ossicles: malleus, incus, and stapes.

Inner ear The organ of hearing, or cochlea The vestibular apparatus

HEARING
Hearing is the ability to perceive sound by detecting vibrations via the ear. Sound waves are alternating high and low pressure regions travelling in the same directions through the same medium.

The frequency of a sound is its pitch. The higher the frequency, the higher is the pitch. Frequency of the sound is measured in unit Hertz (Hz).

There are 3 types of sounds: Audio/sonic -sound with frequency that is capable to be heard by human ears. -Have frequency between 20-20000 Hz. Ultrasonic -sound with frequency to high to be heard by human ears -have frequency higher than 20000 Hz. Infrasonic -sound with frequency to low to be heard by human ears. -have frequency lower than 20 Hz.

Sounds heard most acutely by human ears have frequency ranging from 500-5000 Hz. LOUD SOUNDS AND HAIR CELL DAMAGE The loudness of a sound is its intensity. The louder the sound, the higher is its intensity. Intensity of a sound is measured in decibels (dB). Exposure to loud music and engine roar causes damage to the hair cell of cochlea. Continued exposure to high intensity sounds can cause deafness. Deafness usually begins with loss of sensitivity to for high pitched sounds.

HOW IT WORKS?
Sense of hearing is an ability to detect the mechanical vibration. The pathway of hearing is beginning when sound waves are passing down to auditory canal of the outer ear.

Sound wave strike the eardrum. Form high and low pressure of air cause eardrum to vibrate back and forth. When eardrum vibrates, it causes malleus to vibration. Then transmitted to incus and then to the stapes. (Ossicles).

While stapes vibrate, it pushes the membrane of the oval window in and out. This motion generates fluid pressure waves in the perilymph of cochlea. When oval window bulges inward, it pushes the perilymph of the scala vestibule. The pressure wave transmitted from scala vestibule to scala tympani then to round window.

This transmits of vibration because round window to bulge outward into the middle ear and also push vestibular membrane back and forth.

Creating pressure wave in the endolymph inside the cochlear duct. This pressure causes basilar membrane to vibrate and move the hair cells of the spiral organ against the tectorial membrane.

The hair cell stereocilia bent and produce receptor potential which leading to the generation of nerve impulse.

EQUILIBRIUM
Equilibrium can be defined as balancing and maintaining the stability of a system. Since the equilibrium relating to our hearing, therefore it only involves 2 types of equilibrium; static and dynamic. STATIC EQUILIBRIUM Maintenance of the body position relative to the force of gravity

DYNAMIC EQUILIBRIUM Maintenance of the body position in response to sudden movements.

Both this types of equilibrium is related to the pons and midbrain which involves in hearing and equilibrium of our human body. The receptors for equilibrium are vestibular apparatus which consist of otolithic organs (saccule and utricle) and semicircular ducts.

OTOLITHIC ORGANS

otolith is the structure in utricle of the inner ear specifically vestibular labyrinth Macula; a region in utricle that has info about the position of the head space which essential to maintain the posture and balance.

Macula consist of hair cells and the columnar epithelial that secretes glycoprotein layer (otolithic membrane).

otolithic membrane is on top of macula, it will moved forward if the head is tilt forward because of gravitational pull and cause the hair bundles to bend.

As the hair bundles bend, it opens transduction channel and produce depolarizing receptor potentials and closes upon moving backwards.

Neurotransmitter is being released as the hair depolarizes and repolarize the hair cells synapse with first order sensory neurons in the vestibular branch of the vestibular (VIII) nerve.

SEMICIRCULAR DUCT

The duct lies in right angles with one another. They are position in this manner to enable them to detect rotational movement easily.

In the ampulla, there is a small elevated portion called the crista. Each crista contains hair cells and also supporting cells. The crista covered by a mass of gelatinous material called cupula. When the head is moved suddenly, the semicircular dust and hair cells move with it.

However the endolymphs in the ampulla do not move and lags behind Moving of the hair cell drag along the stationary endolymph which causes the hair bundle to bend.

Bending of the hair bundle produces receptor potentials. The receptor leads to the nerve impulses that pass along the vestibular branch of the vestibular (VIII) nerve

REFERENCE

Principles of Anatomy and Physiology by Tortura grabowski http://www.phon.ox.ac.uk/~jcoleman/speaking_hearing.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outer_ear http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_ear http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inner_ear