15. The Special Senses

True or false: Hair cells in the spiral organ will depolarize or hyperpolarize, depending on the direction in which the stereocilia are bent.

Which of the following is not part of the auditory pathway in the CNS?

a. Superior temporal lobe

b. Superior colliculus

c. Medial geniculate nucleus

d. Nuclei in the pons

e. Cochlear nuclei

Fill in the blanks: In the ampulla of a semicircular duct, the hair cells are located in the_____and their stereocilia and kinocilium are embedded in the______.

Stimuli from the inner ear regarding head movement and position are sent to all of the following except the:

a. vestibular nuclei.

b. oculomotor nucleus.

c. parietal lobe.

d. cerebellum.

e. trigeminal nucleus.

Explain what would happen to your sense of smell if there were no basal cells present in the olfactory epithelium.

In which direction would you be unable to move your right eye if your right abducens nerve were damaged?

Following a stroke, a patient lost vision in the left visual field. Name several structures in the brain that could have been damaged by the stroke to have caused this vision loss. Be specific as to right or left side.

Mr. Spencer suffers loss of taste sensation. Tests reveal that his taste buds and salivary glands are functional. What other structures might be impaired that would explain his loss of taste?

If severe congestion from a cold prevented your pharyngotympanic tube from opening, what could happen to your tympanic membrane? Explain your answer.

Suppose the round window in your middle ear became very stiff. What effect would this have on hearing, and why?

Mrs. Flores is a 45-year-old female who suffered a fracture of the ethmoid bone as the result of a car accident. Several days later, she complained that she couldn't taste her food very well. How is her injury related to the loss of taste sensation?

Your 60-year-old patient, Mr. Guster, has Bell's palsy, which causes dysfunction of those portions of the facial nerve that control muscles of facial expression. He is surprised when you tell him to tape the eyelids of his right eye closed at night to prevent dryness. Why might Bell's palsy cause dryness of the eye on the affected side?