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Updated: Jun 20, 2025

Morphological and Functional Evaluation of Ribbon Synapses at Specific Frequency Regions of the Mouse Cochlea
Published on: May 10, 2019
The tonotopic cochlea puzzle: A resonant transmission line with a "non-resonant" response peak
1INAIL DIMEILA, Monte Porzio Catone (RM), Monte Porzio Catone, 00078, Italy.
Abstract:
The peaked cochlear tonotopic response does not show the typical phenomenology of a resonant system. Simulations of a 2 D viscous model show that the position of the peak is determined by the competition between a sharp pressure boost due to the increase in the real part of the wavenumber as the forward wave enters the short-wave region, and a sudden increase in the viscous losses, partly counteracted by the input power provided by the outer hair cells. This viewpoint also explains the peculiar experimental behavior of the cochlear admittance (broadly tuned and almost level-independent) in the peak region.
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When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking...

