Hearing: Its Physiology and Pathophysiology - Coursework Example

The pinna collects sound waves from the surrounding air, which enters it differently from the front and behind because of its ridged shape. Collected sound waves move along the auditory canal to the face of the middle ear, denoted by the eardrum, and eventually to the cochlea. The cochlea separates sound waves in line with their range and converts them into neural information (Snow and Wackym, 2009). Still at the cochlea, the neural information is transduced for correspondence with the originally collected sound waves and a firing speed akin to the afferent fiber. This transduced information is converted into an electrical signal for nerve impulses to occur in the spiral ganglion. Lastly, these signals are transmitted to the primary auditory cortex which represents the first stop of the conscious experience of sound (Møller, 2000).

Question 2

            The two kinds of hair cells, inner and outer hair cells, play key roles in presenting human auditory experiences (Møller, 2000). The inner hair cell is part of the hair cell stereocilia, whose job is to allow small, positively charged ions of potassium to go into the cell and stabilize its charges. When the entire hair cell is stable, it has receptor latency after an inflow of positive ions. These positive ions do not cause the whole hair cell to cause an action potential. The outer hair cell is a receptor latency that prompts active vibrations of the whole hair cell. The outer hair cell causes a mechanical reaction to electrical signals called somatic electromotility that determines fluctuations in the cell’s span (Snow and Wackym, 2009). Being present in just mammals, the outer hair cell increases the ear’s overall sensitivity by an estimated 50dB.

Question 3

            Sound intensity might be measured through ILD (Interaural Level Differences). ILD determines differences in sound loudness once collected by the ears. ILD is mostly suitable for high rates of recurrence and wavelengths shorter than the length between the years. On the other hand, the sound frequency may be measured by ITD (Interaural Time Differences). ITD measures the period difference between the sound waves going into the pinna (Snow and Wackym, 2009). This kind of measurement is suitable for frequency because sounds with low frequencies have wide wavelengths. In contrast, the primary auditory cortex measures pitch and volume, which make up the fundamentals of hearing (Møller, 2000). Measuring pitch and loudness does not need to consider the frequency and wavelength of collected sound waves. The primary auditory cortex has muscles that generate the needed sound when talking are acquired by the frontier of the motor cortex.