What gives rise to tonotopy along the cochlea?
In the cochlea, sound creates a traveling wave that moves from base to apex, increasing in amplitude as it moves along a tonotopic axis in the basilar membrane (BM). High frequency sounds stimulate neurons at the base of the structure and lower frequency sounds stimulate neurons at the apex.
What is cochlear tonotopy?
The transfer of airborne sound vibration to the structures and fluid of the cochlea. In this way, higher frequencies cause movement in the base of the cochlea, and deeper frequencies work at the apex. This characteristic is known as cochlear tonotopy.
Where is tonotopy found?
Hence, tonotopy in the strict sense is both the most basic and the highest-level map of all maps in the auditory systems. Tonotopies are found at all levels of the auditory pathways from the inner ear to the highest auditory centers of vertebrates from fish to mammals [4].
What is the function of co Chlea in the internal ear?
The cochlea is a portion of the inner ear that looks like a snail shell (cochlea is Greek for snail). The cochlea receives sound in the form of vibrations, which cause the stereocilia to move. The stereocilia then convert these vibrations into nerve impulses which are taken up to the brain to be interpreted.
What is tonotopic organization quizlet?
Tonotopic organization. The systematic mapping of. sound frequency to the place of maximum stimulation. within the auditory system that begins in the cochlea and is preserved through the auditory cortex.
Is there Tonotopy in the auditory cortex?
Auditory Cortex Tonotopy is a feature of the cortex but is also found throughout the auditory neuraxis, from the most peripheral level, at the basilar membrane of the cochlea as well as throughout most brain stem nuclei, midbrain, and thalamic levels.
How does basilar membrane create Tonotopy?
When a sound wave is transmitted to the fluid of the inner ear, the basilar membrane is set in motion. As the frequency of the sound is lowered, the place of maximal amplitude of vibration shifts toward the cochlear apex. Because of this resonance gradient, the basilar membrane is said to be “tonotopically” organized.
Why is tonotopic organization important?
The experiments demonstrate that tonotopic representation is crucial to complex pitch perception and provide a new tool in the search for the neural basis of pitch.
What does the cochlea spirals around?
The cochlea contains the sensory organ of hearing. The spiral ganglion cells of the cochlear nerve are found in a bony spiral canal winding around the central core. A thin bony shelf, the osseous spiral lamina, winds around the modiolus like the thread of a screw.
What is Tonotopy quizlet?
What is the tonotopic organization of the basilar membrane in the cochlea?
The cochlea is a snail-shaped organ which has many tiny receptor hair cells embedded in a basilar membrane which respond to certain frequencies of sound. This is known as tonotopic organization in which the base of the membrane in the cochlea responds to higher pitches and the apex responds to lower pitches.