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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.
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...
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Within an audio system, the filter circuit plays a pivotal role in processing the amplified audio signal from an amplifier. Its primary function is significantly attenuating signal components with lower frequencies, thereby shaping the audio output. This circuit's operations are examined, focusing on the fundamental filter configuration. This configuration involves an operational amplifier arranged in an inverting setup coupled with resistors (R1 and R2) and a capacitor (C1).
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.

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Inner hair cell stereocilia displacement in response to focal stimulation of the basilar membrane in the ex vivo gerbil cochlea.

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Analysis of the cochlear amplifier fluid pump hypothesis.

Brissi Franck Zagadou1, David C Mountain

  • 1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA. fbzag@bu.edu

Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology : JARO
|February 4, 2012
PubMed
Summary

The cochlear amplifier may function as a fluid pump, with outer hair cell contractions driving fluid waves in the tunnel of Corti. This fluid motion amplifies sound vibrations in the cochlea.

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Area of Science:

  • Auditory Neuroscience
  • Bioacoustics
  • Computational Biology

Background:

  • The cochlear amplifier enhances auditory sensitivity and frequency selectivity.
  • The precise biophysical mechanisms underlying cochlear amplification are still debated.
  • Outer hair cells (OHCs) are known to play a crucial role in cochlear amplification.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the hypothesis that the organ of Corti acts as a fluid pump.
  • To model the role of the tunnel of Corti (ToC) in cochlear amplification.
  • To analyze fluid dynamics within the ToC driven by OHC activity.

Main Methods:

  • Finite-element modeling of the gerbil cochlea's middle turn.
  • Simulation of fluid flow in the tunnel of Corti (ToC).
  • Analysis of outer hair cell (OHC) contraction-induced fluid oscillations.

Main Results:

  • OHC contraction and expansion generate oscillatory fluid flow in the ToC.
  • This flow creates a traveling fluid wave with a wavelength of 1.5 mm at 4 kHz.
  • Outer pillar cells (OPCs) do not significantly impede fluid flow into the ToC.

Conclusions:

  • The anatomical structure supports the fluid pump hypothesis for cochlear amplification.
  • The ToC contributes to longitudinal coupling, supporting non-classical cochlear amplifier models.
  • Fluid pumping by OHCs significantly amplifies basilar membrane displacement.