15. The ear and auditory pathways
15. The ear and auditory pathways
- Gillian Pocock, Gillian PocockSenior Lecturer in Clinical Science, Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, UK
- Christopher D. RichardsChristopher D. RichardsEmeritus Professor of Experimental Physiology, Division of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Faculty of Life Sciences, University College London, London, UK
- and David A. RichardsDavid A. RichardsAssociate Professor, Department of Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences, Husson University School of Pharmacy, Bangor, Maine, USA
Abstract
This chapter looks at higher animals, including primates, that use sound to detect danger, raise the alarm, claim territory, and attract a mate. Humans have developed the ability to communicate via sounds to a high degree than other higher animals by using speech and language. Interpreting these sounds is vital to human existence, so it is hardly surprising to find that large areas of the human brain are devoted to decoding what is heard. The chapter is concerned with the processes involved in the detection of sounds and with the nervous pathways that enable the process of hearing. It concludes with a brief discussion of the causes of deafness.
