Mechanically facilitated micro-fluid mixing in the organ of Corti

The cochlea is filled with two lymphatic fluids. Homeostasis of the cochlear fluids is essential for healthy hearing. The sensory epithelium called the organ of Corti separates the two fluids. Corti fluid space, extracellular fluid space within the organ of Corti, looks like a slender micro-tube. Substantial potassium ions are constantly released into the Corti fluid by sensory receptor cells. Excess potassium ions in the Corti fluid are resorbed by supporting cells to maintain fluid homeostasis. Through computational simulations, we investigated fluid mixing within the Corti fluid space. Two assumptions were made: first, there exists a longitudinal gradient of potassium ion concentration; second, outer hair cell motility causes organ of Corti deformations that alter the cross-sectional area of the Corti fluid space. We hypothesized that mechanical agitations can accelerate longitudinal mixing of Corti fluid. Corti fluid motion was determined by solving the Navier-Stokes equations incorporating nonlinear advection term. Advection-diffusion equation determined the mixing dynamics. Simulating traveling boundary waves, we found that advection and diffusion caused comparable mixing when the wave amplitude and speed were 25 nm and 7 m/s, respectively. Higher-amplitude and faster waves caused stronger advection. When physiological traveling waves corresponding to 70 dB sound pressure level at 9 kHz were simulated, advection speed was as large as 1 mm/s in the region basal to the peak responding location. Such physiological agitation accelerated longitudinal mixing by more than an order of magnitude, compared to pure diffusion. Our results suggest that fluid motion due to outer hair cell motility can help maintain longitudinal homeostasis of the Corti fluid.