The Neurology of Hearing and Balance

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts related to the neurology of hearing and balance, as highlighted in the lecture notes.

Hearing

Also known as audition; it is the process whereby acoustic energy waves are changed into neural impulses that are interpreted by the brain.

Peripheral Auditory System

Includes the outer ear, middle ear, inner ear, and cranial nerve VIII, responsible for collecting and transmitting sound.

Tympanic Membrane

Also known as the ear drum, it vibrates in response to acoustic energy.

Ossicles

Three small bones in the middle ear (malleus, incus, stapes) that transmit mechanical energy.

Hydraulic Energy

The form of energy created by the movement of fluids in the cochlea due to the rocking of the stapes.

Cranial Nerve VIII

Also known as the vestibulocochlear nerve, it conducts electrochemical impulses from the cochlear hair cells to the brainstem.

Cochlear Nuclear Complex (CNC)

Part of the brainstem where cranial nerve VIII inputs, specialized for processing auditory information.

Superior Olivary Complex (SOC)

A brainstem structure involved in sound localization and auditory processing, with separate parts for low and high frequency hearing.

Tonotopic Organization

The spatial arrangement of sound frequency processing, maintained from the cochlea to the auditory cortex.

Wernicke’s Area (WA)

Located on the superior temporal gyrus, important for attaching meaning to heard speech; damage can result in Wernicke’s aphasia.

Auditory Processing Disorder

A condition characterized by difficulty in processing and interpreting auditory language symbols.

Vestibular System

Also known as the balance system; responsible for spatial orientation and maintaining balance.

Semicircular Canals

Three fluid-filled canals that correspond to three dimensions of space and are critical for balance.

Ampulla

The swelling present in each semicircular canal that contains sensory structures involved in balance.

Otolithic Membrane

A gelatinous layer in the utricle and saccule that contains otoconia and is critical for detecting linear acceleration.

Vestibular Schwannoma

A slow-growing, benign tumor on the vestibular branch of cranial nerve VIII that leads to hearing loss and balance issues.