Audiology

thumb|thumbtime=23|Video showing how sounds make their way from the source to the brain|upright=1.35 Hearing, or auditory perception, is the ability to perceive sounds through an organ, such as an ear, by detecting vibrations as periodic changes in the pressure of a surrounding medium. The academic field concerned with hearing is auditory science.

excessive, displeasing human, animal, or machine-created environmental noise

thumb|AKG (company)|AKG headphones on a stand

otitis, processo that involves inflammation and accumulation of fluid of the middle ear

small sound amplifiers worn in the ear (ITE) to compensate for hearing loss

disorder of the inner ear, characterized by potentially severe and incapacitating episodes of vertigo, tinnitus, hearing loss, and a feeling of fullness in the ear

thumb|3D model of cochlea and semicircular canals The cochlea is the part of the inner ear involved in hearing. It is a spiral-shaped cavity in the bony labyrinth, in humans making 2.75 turns around its axis, the modiolus. A core component of the cochlea is the organ of Corti, the sensory organ of hearing, which is distributed along the partition separating the fluid chambers in the coiled tapered tube of the cochlea.

part of the ear that lies between the eardrum and the oval window

innermost part of the vertebrate ear

form of hearing disorder

prosthesis used for severe and profound hearing loss

sensory system used for hearing

alt=Image showing an audiologist testing the hearing of a patient inside a hearing booth and using an audiometer|thumb|upright=1.3|Audiological exam

type of mechanoreceptor

Otosclerosis is a condition of the middle and inner ear where portions of the dense enchondral layer of the bony labyrinth]] remodel into one or more lesions of irregularly-laid spongy bone. As the lesions reach the stapes the bone is resorbed, then hardened (sclerotized), which limits its movement and results in hearing loss, tinnitus, vertigo or a combination of these. The term otosclerosis is something of a misnomer: much of the clinical course is characterized by lucent rather than sclerotic bony changes, so the disease is also known as otospongiosis.

ability to pay attention to one conversation among many

congenital, genetically widespread disease considered to be a type of dwarfism affecting boys and girls equally

Hyperacusis is an increased sensitivity to sound and a low tolerance for environmental noise. Definitions of hyperacusis can vary significantly; it often revolves around damage to or dysfunction of the stapes bone, stapedius muscle or tensor tympani. It is often categorized into four subtypes: loudness, pain (also called noxacusis), annoyance, and fear. It can be a highly debilitating hearing disorder.

alt=|thumb|upright=1.35|Pre-molded earplugs (left), formable earplugs (center), and roll-down foam earplugs (right) An earplug is a device that is inserted in the ear canal to protect the user's ears from loud noises, intrusion of water, foreign bodies, dust or excessive wind. Earplugs may be used as well to improve sleep quality or focus in noisy environments. Since they reduce the sound volume, earplugs may prevent hearing loss and tinnitus (ringing of the ears), in some cases.

tube running from the outer ear to the middle ear

thumb|New age portable digital audiometer An audiometer is a machine used for evaluating hearing acuity. They usually consist of an embedded hardware unit connected to a pair of headphones and a test subject feedback button, sometimes controlled by a standard PC. Such systems can also be used with bone vibrators to test conductive hearing mechanisms.

technique of understanding speech when sound is not available

Audiometry () is a branch of audiology and the science of measuring hearing acuity for variations in sound intensity and pitch and for tonal purity, involving thresholds and differing frequencies. Typically, audiometric tests determine a subject's hearing levels with the help of an audiometer, but may also measure ability to discriminate between different sound intensities, recognize pitch, or distinguish speech from background noise. Acoustic reflex and otoacoustic emissions may also be measured. Results of audiometric tests are used to diagnose hearing loss or diseases of the ear, and often

Cholesteatoma is a destructive and expanding growth consisting of keratinizing squamous epithelium in the middle ear and/or mastoid process. Cholesteatomas are not cancerous as the name may suggest, but can cause significant problems because of their erosive and expansile properties. This can result in the destruction of the bones of the middle ear (ossicles), as well as growth through the base of the skull into the brain. They often become infected and can result in chronically draining ears. Treatment almost always consists of surgical removal.

thumb|300px|right|Audiogram

Presbycusis (also spelled presbyacusis, from Greek πρέσβυς presbys "old" + ἄκουσις akousis "hearing"), or age-related hearing loss, is the cumulative effect of aging on hearing. It is a progressive and irreversible bilateral symmetrical age-related sensorineural hearing loss resulting from degeneration of the cochlea or associated structures of the inner ear or auditory nerves. The hearing loss is most marked at higher frequencies. Hearing loss that accumulates with age but is caused by factors other than normal aging (nosocusis and sociocusis) is not presbycusis, although differentiating the

Ototoxicity is the property of being toxic to the ear (oto-), specifically the cochlea or auditory nerve and sometimes the vestibular system, for example, as a side effect of a drug. The effects of ototoxicity can be reversible and temporary, or irreversible and permanent. It has been recognized since the 19th century. There are many well-known ototoxic drugs used in clinical situations, and they are prescribed, despite the risk of hearing disorders, for very serious health conditions. Ototoxic drugs include aminoglycoside antibiotics (such as gentamicin, streptomycin, tobramycin), loop diu

thumb|Listening in conversation.

annual campaign by the World Health Organization Office for the Prevention of Deafness

range of frequencies that can be heard by humans or other animals

neurodevelopmental disorder that affects how the brain processes sounds

auditory test to assess selective attention

region of the brain

type of hearing loss

Tympanometry is an acoustic evaluation of the condition of the middle ear eardrum (tympanic membrane) and the conduction bones by creating variations of air pressure in the ear canal.

component in a sequence of stimuli

condition in which a person loses the ability to hear due to exposure to high intensity sound

sensory neural hearing loss examination

hearing loss caused by occupational hazards

nerve carrying auditory information from the inner ear to the brain

eustachian tube disorder

protection device for auditory organs

practices to avoid hearing damage from intentionally heard sounds

injury to the eardrum as a result of a very loud noise

policy of routinely testing the hearing of babies soon after birth

effect that occurs when the perception of one sound is affected by the presence of another sound

process

medical device inserted into the eardrum

involuntary contraction of the stapedius muscle in response to high-intensity sounds

anatomical structure

one of the perilymph-filled cavities in the human inner ear

two cranial nerve nuclei of the human brainstem

noise pollution

medical condition

electrophysiological assessment of auditory system synchrony

evolutionary event in which bones in the jaw of reptiles were co-opted to form part of the hearing apparatus in mammals

form of habituation therapy

branch of audiology that employs techniques from mathematics and computer science to improve clinical treatments and scientific understanding of the auditory system