Abstract
The auditory and vestibular systems often are considered together because their end organs share space within the petrous portion of the temporal bone (Fig. 16.1) and both arise from the otic vesicle. They also share the VIIIth cranial nerve, albeit the two almost completely separate divisions, auditory and vestibular classified as special somatic afferent. However, the auditory system is exteroceptive, whose purpose is to transduce airborne waves in the acoustic spectrum and most importantly deliver signals to higher centers of the auditory system for perception of sounds. The vestibular system in contrast is proprioceptive. Its receptors monitor head position and movement and convey this information into the brain stem, where it is integrated into the motor systems. The vestibular system is important for maintaining equilibrium and upright posture and for control of synergistic eye movements.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Suggested Readings
Fernandez C, Lysakowski A, Goldberg JM. 1995. Hair-cell counts and afferent innervation patterns in the cristae ampullares of the squirrel monkey with a Âcomparison to the chinchilla. J Neurophysiol. 73: 1253–1269.
Goldberg JM. 2000. Afferent diversity and the organization of central vestibular pathways. Exp Brain Res. 130:277–297.
Goldberg JM, Brichta AM. 1998. Evolutionary trends in the organization of the vertebrate crista ampullaris. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 119:165–171.
Griffiths TD. 2002. Central auditory pathologies. Br Med Bull. 63:107–120.
Griffiths TD, Bates D, Rees A, Witton C, Gholkar A, Green GG. 1997. Sound movement detection deficit due to a brainstem lesion. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 62:522–526.
Griffiths TD, Green GG, Rees A, Rees G. 2000. Human brain areas involved in the analysis of auditory movement. Hum Brain Mapp. 9:72–80.
Highstein S, Fay RR, Popper AN, editors. 2004. The Âvestibular system. New York: Springer.
Hudspeth AJ. 2001. How the ear’s works work: mechanoelectrical transduction and amplification by hair cells of the internal ear. Harvey Lect. 97:41–54.
Hudspeth AJ, Logothetis NK. 2000. Sensory systems. Curr Opin Neurobiol. 10:631–641.
Jones EG. 2003. Chemically defined parallel pathways in the monkey auditory system. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 999:218–233.
Minor LB, Goldberg JM. 1991. Vestibular-nerve inputs to the vestibulo-ocular reflex: a functional-ablation study in the squirrel monkey. J Neurosci. 11:1636–1648.
Moore JK. 2000. Organization of the human superior olivary complex. Microsc Res Tech. 51:403–412.
Moore JK. 2002. Maturation of human auditory cortex: implications for speech perception. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol Suppl. 189:7–10.
Peyman A, Sereda M, Hall DA. 2009. The mechanisms of tinnitus: Perspectives from human functional neuroimaging. Hearing Research. 253:15–31.
Poremba A, Saunders RC, Crane AM, Cook M, Sokoloff L, Mishkin M. 2003. Functional mapping of the primate auditory system. Science. 299:568–572.
Warren JD, Zielinski BA, Green GG, Rauschecker JP, Griffiths TD. 2002. Perception of sound-source motion by the human brain. Neuron. 34:139–148.
Wong D, Pisoni DB, Learn J, Gandour JT, Miyamoto RT, Hutchins GD. 2002. PET imaging of differential cortical activation by monaural speech and nonspeech stimuli. Hear Res. 166:9–23.
Zhang LI, Tan AY, Schreiner CE, Merzenich MM. 2003. Topography and synaptic shaping of direction selectivity in primary auditory cortex. Nature. 424:201–205.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Strominger, N.L., Demarest, R.J., Laemle, L.B. (2012). Auditory and Vestibular Systems. In: Noback's Human Nervous System, Seventh Edition. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-779-8_16
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-779-8_16
Published:
Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ
Print ISBN: 978-1-61779-778-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-61779-779-8
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)