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| The ossicles (Also called the auditory ossicles) are the three smallest bones in the human body. They are connected within the middle ear space and serve to transmit sounds from air to the fluid-filled cochlea. The absence of auditory ossicles would constitute a moderate-to-severe hearing loss. |
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| The malleus or hammer is a hammer shaped small bone or ossicles of the middle ear which connects with the incus and is attached to the inner surface of the ear drum. |
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| The incus or anvil is the anvil-shaped small bone or ossicle in the middle ear. it connects the malleus to the stapes. |
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| The stapes or stirrup is the stirrup-shaped small bone or ossicle in the middle ear which is attached to the incus and oval window. |
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| The tympanic membrane is a thin membrane that separates the external ear from the middle ear whose function is to transmit sound from the air to the ossicles inside the middle ear. |
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| The oval window is a membrane-covered opening which leads from the middle ear to the vestibule of the inner ear. |
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| The coiled and channeled main structure of the inner ear, which contains three fluid-filled canals that run along its entire convoluted length; the fluid-filled canals are separated by membrane, on which thousands of hair cells (auditory receptors) are arranged and are stimulated by the vibration of the stapes. |
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| abnormal growth of the middle ear which can result in hearing loss. Seen in .5% - 10% of the population, usually starts in middle age. Exact causes are unclear - genetic factors play a role, viruses like measles may be involved as well. Treated with hearing aids and/or surgery to remove the stapes. |
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Definition
| The basilar membrane which the cochlea of the inner ear is a stiff structural elemental that separates two liquid-filled tubes that run along the coil of the cochlea, forming a base for hair cells to transduce the sound waves in the cochlear fluid to electrical signals in the brain. |
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| the sensory receptors of the auditory system located on the basilar membrane in the cochlea that convert sound waves to nerve signals by having their hair-like stereocilia being physically moved by sound waves in the cochlear fluid. |
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Definition
| The organ of Croti is the organ in the inner ear of mammals that contains the hair cells (the auditory sensory cells). |
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| A small body in the mid-pons section of the brainstem involved in the localization of sound by determining differences in the intensity and timing of neural responses from each ear for a particular sound |
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| The lateral sulcus (Also called sylvian fissure or lateral fissure; fissure = large sulcus) is the sulcus that divides the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. |
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Definition
| The most superior gyrus in the temporal lobe, situated just below the lateral sulcus, on which much of auditory cortex. |
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Definition
| The most superior sulcus in the temporal lobe, situated just below the superior temporal gyrus. |
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| Primary Auditory Cortex (A1) |
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Definition
| The main area of cortex which first processes auditory information in the brain, situated on the inferior surface of the lateral sulcus. |
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Definition
| Mechanical hearing loss, resulting from blockage in the ear canal, a ruptured eardrum, or restriction of movement of tiny bones in the middle ear, which prevents sound vibrations being transferred to the cochlea. Seen in otosclerosis. |
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| Sensorineural Hearing Loss |
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Definition
| Hearing loss caused by damage to sensory cells and/or nerve fibers of the vestibulocochlear nerve (auditory nerve / Cranial Nerve VIII), the inner ear, or central processing centers of the brain. Seen in many forms of congenital and acquired deafness. |
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Definition
| Tones close to each other in terms of frequency are represented in topologically neighboring neurons in the brain |
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