1. ELEMENTARY TISSUES
 The Human Body is composed of five
tissue types:
 Epithelial
 Connective
 Muscular
 Nervous
 Vascular

2. ELEMENTARY TISSUES
 Epithelial Tissue Characteristics
It has one surface free and is always found upon a
basement tissue.
Some are specialized to serve as sensory cells for the
eye and the cilia of the inner ear.
They are rodlike (columnar) in appearance.

3. ELEMENTARY TISSUES
 Connective Tissue Characteristics
Examples include: tendons, ligaments, fasciae, reticular cartilage
and bone.
Ligaments and bone are primary components of the middle ear
Note: The “hardest” bone in the body is the cochlea (housing the
inner ear components.

4. ELEMENTARY TISSUES
 Connective tissue/bone
The middle ear bones are formed several months before
birth. They are the smallest bones in the body.

5. ELEMENTARY TISSUES
 Muscle tissue
It is the principle mediator of all of our movements.
It is responsible for all of our voluntary behavior and a
good share of our involuntary behavior.
It accounts for about forty percent of our body weight.

6. Elementary Tissues
 Muscle tissue/action
A common consequence of muscle contraction is the
production of movements
The muscle-bone joint complex constitutes a simple
machine---a biologic lever.

7. Elementary Tissues
 Three classes of levers; all are
represented in the body
1. Class l lever
2. Class II lever
3. Class III lever

8. ELEMENTARY TISSUES
Contraction of the middle ear bones
represent a class II “biologic lever”.
This “biologic” lever represents about
twenty decibels of acoustic input into the
auditory system.

9. ELEMENTARY TISSUES
 Nervous tissue
They are a group of highly specialized cells.
These cells respond to abrupt environmental changes.
Their response results in modifying their electrochemical
composition.

10. ELEMENTARY TISSUES
Nervous tissue and the motor unit
Nervous tissue coupled with muscle tissue
create a motor unit.

11. ELEMENTARY TISSUES
 The four phases of motor unit muscle
contraction are:
1. The latent period (neuro-chemical change)
2. The contraction period (muscle contraction)
3. The relaxation period (muscle return to state)
4. The refractory phase (neuro-chemical
restored)

12. ELEMENTARY TISSUES
 Electro-physiological assessments/testing
measure the activities of the motor unit.
Abnormalities of the auditory system can
be identified when the motor units
affecting auditory performance do not
respond within norms.

13. ELEMENTARY TISSUES
 Audiologists are trained to perform these
diagnostic tests.
 Hearing Instrument specialists will
measure the motor unit of the middle ear
to provide information regarding
amplification effect on the muscles of the
middle ear.

14. ELEMENTARY TISSUE
 Vascular tissue “fluid tissue”
They convey food and oxygen to all the living cells in the
body and remove waste materials generated by cellular
activity.
They distribute heat uniformly over the body.
They defend the body against disease producing
microorganisms.

15. ELEMENTARY TISSUES
 Vascular tissue of the inner ear
1. Support the “balance mechanism”
2. Maintain health of the endolymph
3. Maintain health of the perilymph