Exam 24: Auditory and Vestibular Sensation

Whether movement is accelerating or decelerating, upright or upside down, oriented in any other direction, even in the absence of visual clues, we can still determine our orientation in three-dimensional space because

If an outer hair cell is 40 µm long at rest, (A) how long will it be when depolarized by 100 mV? (B) How much force will be required for this to happen? Assume that the length change is 30 nm/mV.

What would be the best candidate to modify (mutate or knock-out) in transgenic mice in order to study various strengths of efferent inhibition of the cochlea?

Outer hair cells outnumber inner hair cells by approximately

How is the membrane potential changed when head movement stimulates vestibular hair cells?

The first structure to be disturbed by sound waves is the

Depolarizations of vestibular hair cells depends on activation of

Propose a possible cause of tinnitus.

Which structure probably acts as a buffer against reverberating perilymph caused by sound waves?

Sound entering the left ear is still perceived bilaterally in the auditory cortex, because of decussation by neurons originating in the

Which two properties of the basilar membrane are responsible for the ability to discern among various sound frequencies?

The stria vascularis is responsible for making the endolymph _______ with respect to cytoplasm.

What is the exact point at which mechanical energy is transformed into electrical/chemical energy?

At cytoplasmic pH of ~ 7.2, prestin

Why are we shielded from the sensation of forward movement in a moving vehicle?

The tonotopic map starts in the basilar membrane of the cochlea and ends in the

The semicircular canals respond to

To construct a series of tuning curves, which of the following experimental conditions is required?

If an outer hair cell is 50 µm long and undergoes a change in length of 2 µm, culminating in 30 nm/mV, what is the change in potential when the cell is depolarized?

What is the function of the otoliths in the endolymph?