Deck 39: Ear and Equilibrium

Question 1

Vestibular input to the cerebellum provides

A) motor coordination.
B) awareness of spatial orientation.
C) compensatory eye movements.
D) awareness of movement.
E) all of these functions.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following is not true of the utricle and saccule?

A) They both contain maculae.
B) They are located in the vestibule of the ear.
C) Their maculae both detect vertical acceleration.
D) They help adjust posture when a person changes the position of the head.
E) All of these are true of the utricle and saccule.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following is not true of the crista ampullaris?

A) It is an organ of dynamic equilibrium.
B) The cupula is the gelatinous cap over the hair cell cilia.
C) Its sensory information is carried on neurons of the cochlear nerve.
D) It is located within a semicircular duct of the inner ear.
E) All of these are true of the crista ampullaris.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following is not true of otoliths?

A) They cause the stereocilia to bend, which is the stimulus for sending nerve impulses to the cerebrum.
B) They consist of magnesium chloride.
C) They add weight to the otolithic membrane as the head is tilted, which causes it to sag.
D) They are embedded in the gelatinous portion of the otolithic membrane.
E) All of these are true of otoliths.

Question 5

In the Barany test, what is the expected response of the eyes to rotation in a chair when the head is tilted 90 degrees onto the shoulder?

A) Side to side nystagmus
B) Up and down nystagmus
C) Random eye movements
D) Rotary nystagmus
E) No eye movement

Question 6

Vestibular neurons transmit nerve impulses along the vestibulocochlear nerve to all of the following sites except

A) the brainstem.
B) the cerebrum.
C) the thalamus.
D) the cerebellum.
E) All of these sites are destinations for neural information from the vestibular neurons.

Question 7

In the vision and equilibrium test, it can be demonstrated that vision has very little to do with the sense of equilibrium, since unsteadiness does not increase when the eyes are closed while balancing on one foot.

Question 8

The organs of static and dynamic equilibrium both contain hair cells, with stereocilia embedded in a gelatinous mass.

Question 9

Which of the following is not true of the sense of static equilibrium?

A) It helps to keep the head in balance when a person is not moving.
B) It is also called gravitational equilibrium.
C) The sense organs are found within the vestibule.
D) It helps a person maintain balance during angular acceleration.
E) All of these are true of the sense of static equilibrium.

Question 10

A positive Romberg test occurs when

A) a person remains steady when balancing on one foot with eyes open.
B) a person is unsteady while standing with feet together and eyes open.
C) a person develops nystagmus.
D) a person is unsteady when balancing on one foot with eyes open.
E) a person becomes unsteady while standing with feet together and eyes closed.

Question 11

The inner ear houses the organs of both static and dynamic equilibrium.

Question 12

The crista ampullaris projects into the lumen of the bony labyrinth of the semicircular canal.

Question 13

Nystagmus is a normal response that occurs along with

A) horizontal acceleration.
B) rotational movements.
C) linear acceleration.
D) vertical acceleration.
E) any of these movements.

Question 14

Both the crista ampullaris and the macula contain otoliths.