SPECIAL SENSES

ANATOMY - PHYSIOLOGY
I. Hearing and Equilibrium :
EARS
 Parts of the Ear

I. EXTERNAL EAR:
...pinna or auricle
...external acoustic meatus
II. MIDDLE EAR (tympanic cavity)
- ossicles (MALLEUS, INCUS, STAPES)
- tensor tympani, stapedius
III. INTERNAL EAR (Labyrinth)
3 parts of the Ear:
 OUTER (EXTERNAL) EAR
• 1. PINNA OR AURICLE
• = shell shaped structure surrounding the auditory canal opening
• 2. EXTERNAL AUDITORY CANAL
• = a short narrow chamber (about 1 inch long by ½ inch wide)
• ...Curved into temporal bone of the skull
• ...Skin of walls lined with ceruminous glands which secrete a
waxy yellow substance called earwax or cerumen
• 3. TYMPANIC MEMBRANE OR EARDRUM
• - a thin membrane separating outer from middle ear
2. MIDDLE EAR
- a small, air-filled cavity within the temporal bone
.... medial boundary-a bony wall with 2 openings at cochlea
...oval window
...round window
.... Anterior boundary – Eustachian tube

OSSICLES IN THE MIDDLE EAR:

..... Malleus (hammer) attached to tympanic membrane

..... Incus (anvil)
..... Stapes (stirrups) – presses on the oval window of the
inner ear
Ossicles/ Bones of the Ear
• Malleus (hammer)
• Incus (anvil)
• Stapes (stirrup)

Figure 8.12

Slide 8.25a
 3. INNER (INTERNAL) EAR
Composed of 2 parts:
I. Bony Labyrinth:
- wall is bony – temporal bone
- fluid inside is perilymph
Made up of:
a. Cochlea – made up of scala
vestibuli and tympani
- concerned with hearing
b. Vestibule – concerned with
static equilibrium
c. 3 semicircular canals – involved
in circular/dynamic equilibrium
 Internal Ear
• located in petrous part of temporal bone

• parts: bony labyrinth and membranous labyrinth

• bony labyrinth:
• series of cavities located within petrous part of temporal
bone contain clear fluid (perilymph) in which
membranous labyrinth is suspended
• perilymph closely resembles CSF ( Na and K)
• parts: vestibule, semicircular canals and cochlea
 Internal Ear
• membranous labyrinth:
• PARTS
• cochlear duct (scala media) located within bony cochlea
contains receptors for hearing : ORGAN OF CORTI
• semicircular ducts (located within semicircular canals)
• utricle and saccule (located within vestibule)
• semicircular ducts, utricle and saccule contain vestibular
receptors ( Equilibrium or Balance )
 Internal Ear: a. Bony labyrinth
b. Membranous labyrinth: vestibular organs for
equilibrium and balance (saccule, utricle and semicircular
ducts) and hearing (cochlea)
Organs of Equilibrium
• Receptor cells are in two structures
• Vestibule
• Semicircular canals

Figure 8.16a, b

Slide 8.30a
Ampullae and Cristae of the
Semicircular Ducts
Vestibular maculae: Haircells – sensory mechanoreceptor

a. utricle macula b. saccule macula

Cochlea : Hearing specifically
ORGAN of CORTI

Figure 8.13

Slide 8.27b
 Cochlear Duct and Spiral Ganglion: Scala tympani/scala vestibuli w/
perilymph; cochlear duct w/ endolymph; spiral organ with endolymph
produced by stria vascularis; spiral ganglion
Sound Waves and Movements
in the Ear
AUDITORY CENTER.. BA 41,42
Deafness- hearing loss
• Conduction
•Impacted cerumen
•Rupture of eardrum
•Otitis media
• Sensorineural
•Extended listening to excessively
loud sounds
Tests to distinguish sensorineural
from conduction deafness
• Weber’s test- base of vibrating fork is
applied to the forehead in the midline
•Normal – sound at midline
•Conduction – louder on affected ear
•Sensorineural – louder in normal
• Rinne’s test - base of tuning fork
over mastoid; can no longer be
heard, held in front of ear
•Normal – AC > BC
•Conduction – BC > AC
•Sensorineural - both diminished
but AC > BC

Slide 8.34
III. Olfaction
 Olfactory epithelium
◆ Olfactory cells: bipolar sensory
neuron with chemoreceptors
◆ Supporting(Sustentacular) cells

◆ Basal cells: stems cells that

differentiate into columnar,
supporting and olfactory cells
◆ Microvillus: brush cells
Figure 9.3b
 OLFACTION
Receptor: olfactory epithelium
located in the upper 1/3 of each
nasal mucosa
..... stimulated by chemicals they
transmit impulses along olfactory
nerve to olfactory center in the
temporal lobe (uncus – Brodmann’s
Area 34)

BA 34
IV. TASTE
Gustatory (Taste ):Tongue with papillae
TASTE RECEPTORS:
taste buds

TASTE BUDS
..... most are localized in
the tongue
..... cylindrical taste bud
is composed of many
sensory gustatory cells
that are encapsulated
by supporting cells
 Papillae
1. Circumvallate: found at
posterior back part of tongue;
contains most # of taste buds
2. Fungiform: mushroom shape
with lesser taste buds; between
the filiform
3. Foliate: sides of tongue ; more
functional during adults
4. Filiform: fingerlike, keratinized,
most numerous, no taste buds
 Taste sites on the tongue

- sweet- sugar, saccharine,

some amino acids

- salt- metal ions (NaCl)

- bitter- alkaloids

- sour- hydrogen ions,

acidity
 Gustatory center
Termination of the
gustatory pathway is
at the area located in
the opercular part of BABA43
43

the post central

gyrus ( Brodmann’s
Area 43)
V. VISION
 EXTRINSIC EYE MUSCLES
ACTION NERVE SUPPLY
LATERAL RECTUS LATERALLY CN VI

MEDIAL RECTUS MEDIALLY CN III

SUPERIOR RECTUS Upwards CN III

INFERIOR RECTUS Downwards CN III

INFERIOR OBLIQUE Upwards and laterally CN III
SUPERIOR OBLIQUE Downwards and laterally CN IV

*** All Extraocular muscles are supplied by CN III ( Oculomotor nerve)

Remember LAST – Lateral rectus muscle – CN VI (Abducens nerve)
Superior oblique muscle – CN IV ( Trochlear nerve)
 Internal Structure of the Eye
• The wall is composed of three tunics
• Fibrous tunic –
outside layer
• Vascular and
muscular coat
• Nervous coat
- retina
The Fibrous Tunic
• 1. Sclera
• White connective tissue layer
• “white of the eye”/ posterior 5/6
• Type I collagen fibers
• Lamina cribrosa
• Layers :
• Episclera
• Substancia propia
• Lamina fusca - melanocytes Slide 8.8
The Fibrous Tunic
2. Cornea
• Transparent, central anterior portion /
anterior 1/6, completely avascular
• Repairs itself easily
• The only human tissue that can be
transplanted without fear of rejection-
transparent fibrous coat covering the
colored part of the eyes, iris.
• - slightly thicker than sclera with refractive
power 2x as high as the lens.
Slide 8.8
Limbus
• Sclero-corneal
junction
• Inner surface is
the internal scleral
sulcus filled in by
trabecular
meshwork and
canal of Schlemm

Slide 8.9
Vascular & Muscular Coat or
UVEA
• Choroid
• Ciliary Body
• Iris

Slide 8.9
 Choroid
• Blood-rich nutritive tunic in 2/3 of eye
• Pigment (melanocytes) prevents light from
scattering

Slide 8.9
Iris
• Pigmented part ; eye color
• Pupil – round opening in the center
• 2 smooth muscles
•Sphincter pupillae – circumferential
•Dilator pupillae - radial

Slide 8.9
 Ciliary body made up of :
• Ciliary process: formation of Aqueous humor
• Ciliary muscles: Smooth muscle for visual
accommodation
• Meridional fibers or
Bruch’s muscle
• Radial fibers
• Circular fibers or
Muller’s muscle

Slide 8.9
Ciliary zonule fibers: suspensory
ligament that holds the lens
Internal Eye Chamber Fluids

• 1. Aqueous humor
• Watery fluid - between the lens and cornea
• Provides nutrients for the lens and cornea
• Reabsorbed into venous blood through the
canal of Schlemm

Slide 8.15a
Internal Eye Chamber Fluids
• 2. Vitreous humor
• Colorless , gel-like substance behind
the lens
• 99% water
• Prevents the eye from collapsing
• Lasts a lifetime and can not be replaced

Slide 8.15b
 Lens
◆ Transparent biconvex body
◆ Type IV collagen

◆ Covered by cuboidal cells which

become columnar at the equator
◆ Lens fibers are 60% protein
LENS
- transparent biconvex body situated
immediately behind the pupil.

- shape changes during accommodation

 Lens capsule: type IV collagen fibers
Epithelium: anterior surface only (simple columnar)
Lens fibers: dense lens fibers , mature lens fibers
Sensory Tunic (Retina)
• Contains receptor cells
(photoreceptors)
• Rods and Cones
• Signals pass from photoreceptors via a
two-neuron chain
• Made up of ten layers

Slide 8.10
Neurons of the Retina and Vision
• Rods
• Long narrow cells
• Allow dim light vision and peripheral
vision
• About 120 million / retina
• Concentrated peripherally

Slide 8.12a
Neurons of the Retina and Vision
• Cones – plumper cells with shorter
conical outer segments
• Allow for detailed color vision
• About 6 million / retina
• Fovea centralis ( in the macula lutea)–
area of the retina with only cones
• No photoreceptor cells are at the
optic disk, or blind spot

Slide 8.12b
REFRACTIVE MEDIA OF THE EYE
- the transparent structures traversed by the
light rays on the way to the photoreceptors of
the retina.
- These structures can bend or refract the light
rays so the images can be focused on the retina.
Parts:
◆ cornea

◆ aqueous humor

◆ lens

◆ vitreous humor
- RETINA....
- —> OPTIC NERVE...
- —> OPTIC CHIASM... BA 17

- —> OPTIC TRACT...

- —> LATERAL GENICULATE...
- —> GENICULO CALCARINE TRACT or OPTIC
RADIATION....
- —> CALCARINE AREA ( BA 17 ).... VISUAL
CENTER
THANK YOU