Neurobio exam 2 ch 10

Sound wave

Mechanical displacement of molecules caused by changing pressure that possesses the physical properties of frequency and amplitude, and their complex interaction; also referred to as a compression wave.

frequency

Number of cycles a wave completes in a given time.

hertz (Hz)

Measure of sound wave frequency (repetition rate); 1 hertz equals 1 cycle per second.

amplitude

Stimulus intensity; in audition, roughly equivalent to loudness, graphed by the increasing height of a sound wave.

decibel (dB)

Measure of the relative physical intensity of sounds.

prosody

Melodic tone of the speaking voice.

ossicles

Bones of the middle ear: the hammer, anvil, and stirrup.

cochlea

Inner ear structure containing the auditory receptor cells.

basilar membrane

Receptor surface in the cochlea that transduces sound waves into neural activity.

hair cell

Specialized neurons in the cochlea tipped by cilia; when stimulated by waves in the cochlear fluid, the cilia bend and generate graded potentials in inner hair cells, the auditory receptor cells.

otoacoustic emissions

Spontaneous or evoked sound waves produced within the ear by the cochlea that escape from the ear.

medial geniculate nucleus

Major thalamic region concerned with audition.

primary auditory cortex

(area A1)

Asymmetrical structures within Heschl's gyrus in the temporal lobes; receives input from the ventral region of the medial geniculate nucleus.

Wernicke's area

Secondary auditory cortex (planum temporale) lying behind Heschl's gyrus at the rear of the left temporal lobe; regulates language comprehension. Also known as the posterior speech zone.

lateralization

Localization of function primarily on one side of the brain.

echolocation

The ability to use sound to locate objects in space.

insula

Multifunctional cortical tissue located within the lateral fissure; contains language- and taste perception-related regions and neural structures underlying social cognition.

tonotopic representation

In audition, structural organization for processing of sound waves from lower to higher frequencies.

cochlear implant

Electronic device with wires that is implanted surgically into the inner ear; the wires carry transduced sound waves that directly excite the cranial nerve, allowing a deaf person to hear.

Broca's area

Anterior left-hemisphere speech area that functions with the motor cortex to produce the movements needed for speaking.

aphasia

Inability to speak or comprehend language despite the presence of normal comprehension and intact vocal mechanisms. Broca's aphasia is the inability to speak fluently despite the presence of normal comprehension and intact vocal mechanisms. Wernicke's aphasia is the inability to understand or to produce meaningful language even though word production remains intact.

supplementary speech area

Speech production region on the left frontal lobe dorsal surface.

amusia

Tone deafness; inability to distinguish between musical notes.

What are the three physical properties of sound waves?

Strength, flexibility, pressure

The number of cycles a wave completes in a given amount of time is called ...

Frequency

The receptor surface in the cochlea that transduces sound waves into neural activity is called ...

Basilar membrane

What are the three bones in the inner ear?

hammer, anvil, stirrup

Hair cells in the ... code frequency as a function of their location on the basilar membrane

Cochlea

People who suffer from ... can speak fluently, but their language is confused and makes little sense

Wernicke's aphasia

In ITD, the computation of left-ear/right-ear arrival times is carried out in the ...

medial part of the superior olivary complex

... area matches speech sounds to the motor programs necessary to articulate them

Broca's

Song development in young birds is influenced not just by genes but also by ...

Learning

In many bird species, the control of song in the brain is lateralized to the ... hemisphere

Left