Auditory a

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Auditory and vestibular system Agnė Pašvenskaitė Valente, MD PhD agnep@ufp.edu.pt Biofunctional Systems of the Human Body II Integrated Master Degree in Medicine OBJECTIVES Primary Goal: Understand the anatomy and physiology of auditory and vestibular systems. Key Learning Points: 1. Review the anatomy of the ear. 2. Describe the functions of each part of the ear. 3. Describe the means of mechanoreception for hearing and balance. 4. Identify the auditory and vestibular pathways. 5. Clinical apply. Auditory system AUDITORY SYSTEM Main functions: • Hearing (sound detection) • Sound localization • Speech discrimination SOUND WAVES → MECHANICAL VIBRATION → NEURAL SIGNAL → CORTEX INTERPRETATION CLINICAL AND FUNCTIONAL ANATOMY OF THE EAR EXTERNAL EAR • Collects and funnels sound. MIDDLE EAR • Efficiently transmits and amplifies sound from air to the fluid-filled cochlea. INTERNAL EAR • Converts mechanical sound vibrations into electrical nerve signals that the brain can interpret EXTERNAL EAR-AURICLE AURICLE PINNA FUNCTION: 1. Collects Sound Waves Gathers sound waves from the environment and funnels them into the ear canal. 2. Directs Sound into the Ear Canal Sound waves can...