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Related Concept Videos

The Cochlea01:13

The Cochlea

The cochlea is a coiled structure in the inner ear that contains hair cells—the sensory receptors of the auditory system. Sound waves are transmitted to the cochlea by small bones attached to the eardrum called the ossicles, which vibrate the oval window that leads to the inner ear. This causes fluid in the chambers of the cochlea to move, vibrating the basilar membrane.
Hair Cells01:22

Hair Cells

Hair cells are the sensory receptors of the auditory system—they transduce mechanical sound waves into electrical energy that the nervous system can understand. Hair cells are located in the organ of Corti within the cochlea of the inner ear, between the basilar and tectorial membranes. The actual sensory receptors are called inner hair cells. The outer hair cells serve other functions, such as sound amplification in the cochlea, and are not discussed in detail here.
Auditory Pathway01:15

Auditory Pathway

Auditory pathways constitute the complex neural circuits responsible for transmitting and interpreting auditory information from the peripheral auditory system to the brain. Sound waves are initially captured by the outer ear, funneled through the ear canal, and reach the tympanic membrane (eardrum). These vibrations are transmitted via the middle ear's ossicles to the inner ear's cochlea.
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking the...
Equilibrium and Balance01:15

Equilibrium and Balance

The inner ear assumes dual functionalities of auditory perception and equilibrium maintenance. The vestibule is the organ responsible for balance. This organ contains mechanoreceptors, specifically hair cells, endowed with stereocilia, which aid in deciphering information regarding the position and motion of our heads. Two intrinsic components, the utricle and saccule, help perceive head position, while the semicircular canals track head movement. Neurological messages initiated in the...
Anatomy of the Ear01:16

Anatomy of the Ear

Auditory sensation, commonly called hearing, involves the transformation of sonic waves into neural impulses facilitated by the structures of the auditory organ. The prominent, flesh-like structure on the side of the head, called the auricle, directs sound waves towards the auditory canal. The auricle is often mislabeled as the pinna, a term more aligned with mobile structures like a feline's external ear. The auditory canal penetrates the cranium via the external auditory meatus of the...
Mechanism of Ciliary Motion01:05

Mechanism of Ciliary Motion

The ciliary structures were first seen in 1647 by Antonie Leeuwenhoek while observing the protozoans. In lower organisms, these appendages are responsible for cell movement, while in higher organisms, these appendages help in the movement of the extracellular fluids within the body cavities.
The cilia are made up of microtubules in a 9+2 arrangement, with nine microtubule doublet ring bundles, surrounding a pair of central singlet microtubule bundles. The doublet microtubule bundles are...

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The endocochlear potential alters cochlear micromechanics.

Stefan Jacob1, Martin Pienkowski, Anders Fridberger

  • 1Center for Hearing and Communication Research, Karolinska Institutet, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, M1 Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.

Biophysical Journal
|June 7, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Restoring the natural electrical charge in the cochlea

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Area of Science:

  • Otoacoustic emissions
  • Auditory neuroscience
  • Mechanotransduction in hearing

Background:

  • Mechanically sensitive ion channels in cochlear hair cells are crucial for hearing.
  • These channels are open even without sound, affecting hair cell function.
  • The electrical charge of the scala media influences hair cell behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how restoring endogenous polarization of the scala media affects cochlear structure and vibration.
  • To understand the role of outer hair cell (OHC) electromotility in these changes.

Main Methods:

  • In vitro whole cochlea preparation.
  • Digital laser interferometry for vibration measurement.
  • Time-resolved confocal imaging for structural analysis.

Main Results:

  • Restoring scala media polarization depolarized hair cell somata.
  • This induced structural changes in the organ of Corti, with differential movement of OHC rows.
  • Sound-evoked vibrations showed decreased motion in inner regions and increased motion in outer regions of the reticular lamina.

Conclusions:

  • Endogenous polarization of the scala media significantly alters cochlear mechanics.
  • This polarization affects the geometry and mechanical/electrical properties of the hearing organ.
  • Outer hair cell electromotility is key to these polarization-induced changes.