PSYCH 3A03 Lecture Notes - Low Frequency, Tectorial Membrane, Ear Canal

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYCH 3A03
• Professor: Paul Faure

Document Summary

This outline summarizes major points covered in lecture. It is not intended to replace your own lecture notes. In response to an acoustic stimulus, the ihcs electrical response has both a dc component (change in baseline of receptor potential) and an ac component (corresponding to structure of stimulus frequency) Amplitude of dc component grows with stimulus frequency; it dominates in ihcs. Amplitude of ac component shrinks with stimulus frequency. Ac component more important at low frequencies; it dominates in ohcs. As haircell becomes more depolarized, neurotransmitter is released to neuron connected to haircell. Neurotransmitter released from haircell receptor is received by specific membrane receptors on post- synaptic neuron. Binding of neurotransmitter by the neural receptor causes ion channels to open in neural plasmalemma which in turn causes the neuron"s membrane potential to become depolarized. Eventually, the neuron"s membrane potential reaches the threshold for an all-or-none action potential.