NPB101: Neurophysiology Part 7

Vestibular System

Vestibular System

Determine your body position relative to the planet

Cochlea

for hearing

Semi circular canals

filled with fluid

Otolith

made up of 2 organs

• saccule

• utricle

Hair Cells

• Transduce rotation (shaking head/backflips)

• Stereocilia embedded in the cupula

Hair Cells Found in

ampulla

What detects our motion in the world?

Semicircular canal

You detect changes in ____ when something _____

acceleration, slows down

T/F: When the Stereocilia bends away from the Kinocilium it increases the rate of neurotransmitters releasing

False, when Stereocilia bends toward the Kinocilium it increases the rate of neurotransmitter release

Why do we get motion sickness?

We get motion sick because our visual input isn’t agreeing with our (ears)—→ fluid moving around in the semicircular canal (vestibular input disagreeing with visual input)

Stereocilia is embedded in a _____

gel

Otolith

Oto: ear

Lith: stones

T/F: The ear stones do not stay in place when we don’t move

False, the ear stones will stay in place as long as we are

How can your brain become blind?

If there is no visual stimuli (vertical or horizontal line) as you age when you are a baby your brain becomes blind to either vertical or horizontal or both stimulu

If you patch your eye during critical development what happens?

Your brain can become blind to stimuli in that patched eye