00:01
So let’s take a look at if you have
some damage to these structures
and what affect that
has on function.
00:05
So presbycusis is a cumulative
effect of aging on hearing.
00:09
So as we get older, we all know
that your hearing tends to go.
00:13
We all have our parents where they’re like,
“What?” and you’re repeating yourselves.
00:16
Now, you can say, “I understand.” And you
don’t have to get mad at them, right?
You’re also going to have other types of
damages which I’ll highlight in just a sec.
00:24
So progressive and irreversible
bilateral symmetrical
age-related sensorineural
hearing loss.
00:29
That’s a mouthful.
00:30
So what we’re saying is progressive, it’s
going to get worst as they get older.
00:34
It’s irreversible. It’s not
something you can fix.
00:36
Bilateral symmetrical, meaning
it’s happening on both ears.
00:39
Age-related, it’s because our loving parents
and grandparents are getting older.
00:44
And sensorineural means that this
is due to a lack or inability
of us to detect the sensory information
because of damage to these neurons
leading to hearing loss.
00:53
Okay. So I hope all
that make sense.
00:55
You’re also going to have
other forms of hearing loss
but that’s distinct than this age
dependence sort of low and slowed
progressive damage
I’m talking about.
01:05
You’re also going to have
something called tinnitus.
01:07
I’m sure you’ve heard
that term before as well
and I’m sure you’ve experienced it and
you have that ringing in the ear.
01:12
Have you ever had that
before where it goes --
and you hear that for a couple
of seconds and it goes away?
What’s happening there is you’re actually
feeling or hearing or experiencing
damage to some of your hair cells
and that’s also irreversible.
01:24
So being in times where you’re in loud, loud
concerts or somebody is yelling at you,
that loud sound can be too traumatic and
actually will disrupt, damage hair cells
and then that will lead to that tinnitus
that you’re feeling, experiencing.
01:38
So, this specific disorder is caused
by the generation of the cochlea
or associated structures to the
inner ear or auditory nerves.
01:45
So now we’re being fairly specific
in terms of the type of damage.
01:51
We’re not going to go so deep,
but there’s actually four ways you can
experience this type of hearing loss
and each one is reflected by the
type of structure that’s damaged.
02:00
So the hearing loss is most
marketed at higher frequencies.
02:03
So that would be at the base
of the basilar membrane.
02:09
And at the higher frequency,
so things like treble.
02:11
So really, really important to
understand all the different
components that make up the ear.
02:16
It’s important to understand the
process of how we convert sound energy
into vibrational energy and into
mechanical energy and into chemical energy
and then, ultimately,
into an action potential
so that we can send the
information onto our brain,
the auditory centers of our
brain to process what we heard.