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Related Concept Videos

Nitric Oxide Signaling Pathway01:28

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Nitric oxide (NO), an inorganic gas, acts as a potent second messenger in most animal and plant tissues. NO diffuses out of the cells that produce it and enters the neighboring cells to generate a downstream response. NO synthase (NOS) catalyzes NO production by the deamination of the amino acid arginine. There are three isoforms of NOS. Endothelial cells have endothelial NOS (eNOS), nerve and muscle cells have neuronal NOS (nNOS), and macrophages produce inducible NOS (iNOS) upon exposure...
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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.
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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.
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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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Optogenetic Stimulation of the Auditory Nerve
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Nitric Oxide Signaling in the Auditory Pathway.

Conny Kopp-Scheinpflug1, Ian D Forsythe2

  • 1Neurobiology Laboratory, Division of Neurobiology, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany.

Frontiers in Neural Circuits
|October 29, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Nitric oxide (NO) acts as a volume transmitter in the auditory system, modulating neuronal excitability and synaptic transmission. Its rapid action and short half-life influence auditory processing, with potential roles in both normal function and pathology.

Keywords:
auditory processinghearing lossneuronal excitability and ion channel regulationneuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS)synaptic plasticityvolume transmission

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Auditory System Research
  • Molecular Signaling

Background:

  • Nitric oxide (NO) is a crucial signaling molecule with diverse physiological roles.
  • NO's unique properties as a rapidly synthesized, highly reactive molecule with a short half-life define its function as a 'volume transmitter'.
  • In the auditory system, neuronal NO synthase (nNOS) is linked to postsynaptic activity, suggesting a role in auditory processing.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the role of nitric oxide in the auditory system.
  • To highlight NO's mechanisms in mediating neuronal intrinsic plasticity and synaptic transmission.
  • To discuss NO's function as a volume transmitter in the auditory brainstem and its implications in pathological conditions.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review focusing on nitric oxide signaling in the auditory system.
  • Analysis of the coupling between nNOS, postsynaptic calcium influx, and downstream signaling pathways (cGMP, protein kinase G).
  • Examination of NO's influence on voltage-gated conductances and vesicle mobility.

Main Results:

  • NO generation is dependent on synaptic and sound-evoked activity.
  • NO acts as a volume transmitter in the auditory brainstem, modulating intrinsic excitability and synaptic transmission.
  • Aberrant NO signaling can disrupt the precise timing and tonotopic organization of the auditory system.

Conclusions:

  • Nitric oxide plays a significant role in activity-dependent neuronal plasticity and synaptic transmission within the auditory system.
  • NO's function as a volume transmitter allows for widespread modulation of auditory processing.
  • Dysregulation of NO signaling can have detrimental effects on auditory function, particularly under pathological conditions.