Pnb 2xb3 - Auditory System Already Passed

Oval window and round window {Ans: are connected, if one is pushed then fluid bulges out of the other}Conductive hearing loss - otitis media {Ans: - infection in middle ear - could be b/c of bacteria in Eustacian tube in children or pus build-up - treatment is antibiotics (although these can damage hair cells) or poke a hole in the tympanic membrane and drain them (tympanic membrane can heal)}Ascending auditory pathway {Ans: - cochlear nerve: where sound transduction happens - 8th cranial nerve/auditory nerve: nerve goes up the brainstem and enters the rostral medulla - medulla has 2 nuceli: dorsal cochlear nucleus (has axons that decussate at the medulla and go to the midbrain; midbrain axons go to the auditory/medial geniculate thalamus); ventral cochlear nucleus (has axons that go to the pons - next most rostral part of the brainstem) - axons terminate bilaterally - affect both hemispheres (bilateral projections)}Tensor tympani and stapedius muscle {Ans: - are muscles connected to the ossicles; when these muscles contract, it stops the vibration of the ossicles - can "tone down" the volume of loud noises - also thought to be used when we talk because we're vibrating our skulls;