DR MOHAMMAD NASIR

MBBS(AMC)
LECTURER
PHYSIOLOGY DEPARTMENT
 THE SENSE OF
HEARING
CENTRAL AUDITORY
MECHANISMS
AUDITORY PATHWAYS
• CROSSING OVER LEVELS:
• Three
• Trapezoid body
• Commissure of probst
• Inferior colliculus commisure
• COLLATERALS:
• To reticular activating system
• To the vermis of cerebellum
• SPATIAL ORIENTATIONS:
• Three spatial orientations of sound
frequencies in the cochlea
• Two in the inferior colliculus
• One in the auditory cortex
• Five others in the auditory cortex and
auditory association cortex
FUNCTION OF CEREBRAL
CORTEX IN HEARING
• SOUND FREQUENCY PERCEPTION IN THE
PRIMARY AUDITORY CORTEX:
• Low frequency sounds anterior
• High frequency sounds posterior

• TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS:
• Six
• To differentiate between frequencies
• Direction of sound waves
• Other qualities like sudden onset of sound waves etc
• DISCRIMINATION OF SOUND PATTERN BY
AUDITORY CORTEX:

• PRIMARY AUDITORY CORTEX:

• Damage result in decrease or no hearing

• AUDITORY ASSOCIATION CORTEX:

• Damage to it results inability to interpret the
meaning of sounds
• DERERMINATION OF DIRECTION
FROM WHICH THE SOUND COMES:

• Two principal mechanisms:

• Time lag between entry of sound in both
ears
• The difference in intensities of sound in
both ears
• NEURAL MECHANISM FOR DETECTING
SOUND DIRECTION:

• LATERAL SUPERIOR OLIVARY NUCLEUS:

• Detect the direction from difference in intensity
of sound

• MEDIAL SUPERIOR OLIVARY NUCLEUS:

• Concerned with time lag
• CENTRIFUGAL SIGNALS FROM CNS
TO LOWER AUDITORY AREAS:

• Retrograde fibres are inhibitory to reduce

intensity of sounds
 AUDIOMETER AND
AUDIOGRAMS IN DEAFNESS
• NERVE DEAFNESS:
• CONDUCTION DEAFNESS: