MCAT: Biology: Neurobiology

rods and cones with no light

Na+ channels open to depolarize cell, cell releases neurotramsitter

rods and cones with light

Inhibition of the Na+ channels, Na+/K+ pumps polarizes the cell, stops the release of neurotransmitter

pinna

the visible part of the ear

auditory canal

the area that sound waves pass through to reach the eardrum

tympanic membrane

The eardrum. A structure that separates the outer ear from the middle ear and vibrates in response to sound waves.

ossicles

don't want to MIS a sound: malleus, incus, stapes

semicircular canals

three canals within the inner ear that contain specialized receptor cells that generate nerve impulses with body movement

organization of the retina

Photoreceptors lie at the back of the retina, in front of a pigmented epithelium

For light to reach the photoreceptors, it must pass layers of neurons involved in visual processing

cone cells

color vision, clustered in the fovea, blue, green, and red

rod cells

allow for low light vision not found in fovea

cochlea

a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear through which sound waves trigger nerve impulses

eustachian tube

A narrow tube between the middle ear and the throat that serves to equalize pressure on both sides of the eardrum

outer ear

pinna and auditory canal

middle ear

ossicles

inner ear

contains cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs

perilymph and endolymph

fluid contained in the labyrinth of the inner ear

basilar membrane

membrane supporting the hair cells in the cochlea which release neutransmitters

tectorial membrane

cillia hair from basilar membrane is dragged across it

high pitches/frequency is heard

in the front/thick part of the basilar membrane

low pitches/frequency is heard

In the back, the thinner part of the basilar membrane

vestibular complex

vestibule (allows for 3D orientation) and semicircular canals (balance while in motion)

saccule

A small, fluid-filled sac under the utricle in the vestibular system that responds to static positions of the head.

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