Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Beta-2 Transferrin May Not Be Specific for Presence of Cerebrospinal Fluid in Middle Ear Fluid.

Otology & neurotology : official publication of the American Otological Society, American Neurotology Society [and] European Academy of Otology and Neurotology·2026

Same author

Engineering of functional auditory neurons from human induced pluripotent stem cells.

Military Medical Research·2026

Same author

Investigation of the dynamic behavior of liquid transfer between two flat surfaces.

Journal of colloid and interface science·2026

Same author

Controlled Formation and Flowability of Clathrate Hydrate Suspensions from Frozen Emulsions.

ACS applied materials & interfaces·2026

Same author

Enhancing the Spinnability of Cellulose-Based Textile Waste by Doping with High Molecular Weight Bacterial Cellulose.

Biomacromolecules·2026

Same author

A plasma metabolomic fingerprint of moderate or severe hearing loss.

Metabolomics : Official journal of the Metabolomic Society·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 16, 2026

Evaluation of Planar-Cell-Polarity Phenotypes in Ciliopathy Mouse Mutant Cochlea

Evaluation of Planar-Cell-Polarity Phenotypes in Ciliopathy Mouse Mutant Cochlea

Published on: February 21, 2016

Quantitative polarized light microscopy of human cochlear sections.

Jacob C M Low¹, Thomas J Ober², Gareth H McKinley²

¹The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.

Biomedical Optics Express

|March 18, 2015

Summary

Quantitative polarized light microscopy (qPLM) reveals distinct optical properties in pediatric human cochlear sections. This novel imaging technique offers new insights into inner ear microanatomy, crucial for understanding sensorineural hearing loss.

Keywords:

(170.3880) Medical and biological imaging (170.4500) Optical coherence tomography (170.4580) Optical diagnostics for medicine (170.4940) Otolaryngology (180.0180) Microscopy

More Related Videos

Morphological and Functional Evaluation of Ribbon Synapses at Specific Frequency Regions of the Mouse Cochlea

Morphological and Functional Evaluation of Ribbon Synapses at Specific Frequency Regions of the Mouse Cochlea

Published on: May 10, 2019

Imaging the Aging Cochlea with Light-Sheet Fluorescence Microscopy

Imaging the Aging Cochlea with Light-Sheet Fluorescence Microscopy

Published on: September 28, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 16, 2026

Evaluation of Planar-Cell-Polarity Phenotypes in Ciliopathy Mouse Mutant Cochlea

Evaluation of Planar-Cell-Polarity Phenotypes in Ciliopathy Mouse Mutant Cochlea

Published on: February 21, 2016

Morphological and Functional Evaluation of Ribbon Synapses at Specific Frequency Regions of the Mouse Cochlea

Morphological and Functional Evaluation of Ribbon Synapses at Specific Frequency Regions of the Mouse Cochlea

Published on: May 10, 2019

Imaging the Aging Cochlea with Light-Sheet Fluorescence Microscopy

Imaging the Aging Cochlea with Light-Sheet Fluorescence Microscopy

Published on: September 28, 2022

Area of Science:

Otolaryngology
Biomedical Optics
Microscopy

Background:

Sensorineural hearing loss, often caused by inner ear dysfunction, is a prevalent global sensory deficit.
Current imaging techniques lack the resolution to visualize the intricate microanatomy of the human inner ear.
Novel imaging modalities are essential for detailed inner ear structural analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

To characterize the polarization-dependent optical properties of human cochlear sections using quantitative polarized light microscopy (qPLM).
To provide the first detailed optical characterization of inner ear microstructures.

Main Methods:

Eight pediatric cadaveric cochlear sections (0-24 months) were sourced from the US National Temporal Bone Registry.
Quantitative polarized light microscopy (qPLM) was employed for imaging.
Image J software was used for quantitative analysis of the acquired images.

Main Results:

Significant differences in retardance were observed across various cochlear structures.
The bony otic capsule and basilar membrane exhibited substantially higher retardance compared to other tissues.
These optical property variations were consistent across the spiraling turns of the cochlea.

Conclusions:

Quantitative polarized light microscopy (qPLM) successfully provides quantitative optical information about human inner ear structures.
The findings highlight distinct optical properties of key cochlear components.
qPLM holds potential for future in vivo investigations of the inner ear.