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Examples of the onset and recovery of the acoustic reflex measured with a laser Doppler velocimetry system. Thus, the reflex most likely developed to protect early humans from loud thunder claps which do not happen in a split second. [7] [8] The reflex works by contracting the muscles of the middle ear, the tensor tympani and the stapedial muscle.
Tonic tensor tympani syndrome is a disease of the tensor tympani muscle, described by Klochoff et al. in 1971. [1] [2] The tensor tympani muscle is one of the two middle ear muscles that support the three middle ear bones, called the ossicles. TTTS involves tensor tympani muscle activity being reduced, leading to a decrease in the contraction ...
The acoustic reflex (also known as the stapedius reflex, [1] stapedial reflex, [2] auditory reflex, [3] middle-ear-muscle reflex (MEM reflex, MEMR), [4] attenuation reflex, [5] cochleostapedial reflex [6] or intra-aural reflex [6]) is an involuntary muscle contraction that occurs in the middle ear in response to loud sound stimuli or when the person starts to vocalize.
The tympanic nerve (Jacobson's nerve) is a branch of the glossopharyngeal nerve passing through the petrous part of the temporal bone to reach the middle ear. It provides sensory innervation for the middle ear, the Eustachian tube, the parotid gland, and mastoid cells. It also carries parasympathetic fibers destined for the parotid gland.
Bell's palsy can trigger hyperacusis if the associated flaccid paralysis affects the tensor tympani, and stapedius, two small muscles of the middle ear. [33] Paralysis of the stapedius muscle prevents its function in dampening the oscillations of the ossicles, causing sound to be abnormally loud on the affected side. [34]
The auricular branch of the vagus nerve is often termed the Alderman's nerve ("a reference to the old Aldermen of the City of London and their practice of using rosewater bowls at ceremonial banquets, where attendees were encouraged to place a napkin moistened with rosewater behind their ears in the belief that this would aid digestion") or Arnold's nerve (an eponym for Friedrich Arnold).
The auriculotemporal nerve is a sensory branch of the mandibular nerve (CN V 3) that runs with the superficial temporal artery and vein, and provides sensory innervation to parts of the external ear, scalp, and temporomandibular joint. The nerve also conveys post-ganglionic parasympathetic fibres from the otic ganglion to the parotid gland. [1]
Muscle tension, particularly in the jaw muscles like the masseter and medial pterygoid, can radiate to the ears, leading to somatic tinnitus. Specialized physical therapists use neuromuscular techniques to alleviate tension in these areas, which may reduce tinnitus intensity and associated pain in connected areas, such as the jaw, teeth, and ears.