Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 1, 2026
08:25
Immunolabeling and Counting Ribbon Synapses in Young Adult and Aged Gerbil Cochleae
Published on: April 21, 2022
2.9K
Progressive age-dependence and frequency difference in the effect of gap junctions on active cochlear amplification
Liang Zong1, Jin Chen2, Yan Zhu3
1Dept. of Otolaryngology, University of Kentucky Medical School, Lexington, KY 40536, United States; Department of Otolaryngology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing, 100853, PR China.
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
|May 30, 2017
Summary
Connexin 26 (Cx26) gap junctions are crucial for hearing. Their deletion in mice causes progressive hearing loss, especially at high frequencies, impacting cochlear amplification.
Area of Science:
- Oto-neurology
- Molecular biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Connexin 26 (Cx26) is a key gap junction protein in the cochlea.
- Cx26 mutations are linked to nonsyndromic hearing loss.
- Previous studies showed Cx26 deletion in cochlear cells affects outer hair cell function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the progressive nature of hearing loss and reduced cochlear amplification due to Cx26 deletion.
- To analyze frequency-specific changes in hearing loss and amplification.
- To explore the role of cochlear gap junctions in age-related hearing loss.
Main Methods:
- Targeted deletion of Cx26 in specific cochlear supporting cells in mice.
- Assessment of hearing loss and active cochlear amplification across different frequencies and ages.
- Analysis of the relationship between age and hearing loss progression.
Main Results:
- Hearing loss and reduced amplification in Cx26-deleted mice are progressive and frequency-dependent.
- High-frequency regions are affected first, followed by middle and low frequencies.
- Hearing loss progression follows a logarithmic function with age, faster in basal regions.
Conclusions:
- Cochlear gap junctions play a progressive role in active cochlear amplification.
- The effects are observed in both high and low frequencies in adult mice.
- Cochlear gap junctions may be significant in the development of age-related hearing loss.
Related Concept Videos
01:13The Cochlea
51.9K
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.
51.9K
01:22Hair Cells
45.8K
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.
45.8K
01:01Perception of Sound Waves
5.9K
The human ear is not equally sensitive to all frequencies in the audible range. It may perceive sound waves with the same pressure but different frequencies as having different loudness. Moreover, the perception of sound waves depends on the health of an individual's ears, which decays with age. The health of one's ears may also be affected by regular exposure to loud noises.
The pitch of a sound depends on the frequency and the pressure amplitude of the source. Two sounds of the same...
The pitch of a sound depends on the frequency and the pressure amplitude of the source. Two sounds of the same...
5.9K
01:15Auditory Pathway
7.8K
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...
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking...
7.8K
01:37Gap Junctions
57.7K
Multicellular organisms employ a variety of ways for cells to communicate with each other. Gap junctions are specialized proteins that form pores between neighboring cells in animals, connecting the cytoplasm between the two, and allowing for the exchange of molecules and ions. They are found in a wide range of invertebrate and vertebrate species, mediate numerous functions including cell differentiation and development, and are associated with numerous human diseases, including cardiac and...
57.7K
01:27Gap Junctions
10.0K
The cytoplasm of adjacent animal cells can exchange small molecules, ions, and secondary messengers via the communication channels which form the gap junctions. These junctions comprise a few hundred to thousands of molecular channels, each made of two halves, called the connexon hemichannel. A connexon is a hexamer of six transmembrane connexin proteins, which assemble radially, thus forming a pore or channel in the center. One connexon hemichannel docks with a corresponding connexon on the...
10.0K