Extremely Small Motions of the Basilar Membrane in the Inner Ear

Nature ◽  
1970 ◽  
Vol 228 (5272) ◽  
pp. 678-679 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. ALLAIRE ◽  
M. BILLONE ◽  
S. RAYNOR
Keyword(s):  
Inner Ear ◽  
Basilar Membrane

scholarly journals The Effect of Pulling Out Cochlear Implant Electrodes on Inner Ear Microstructures: A Temporal Bone Study

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingo Todt ◽  
Rainer O. Seidl ◽  
Arne Ernst
Keyword(s):  
Cochlear Implant ◽  
Inner Ear ◽  
Temporal Bone ◽  
Basilar Membrane ◽  
Temporal Sequence ◽  
Pull Out ◽  
Temporal Bones

The exchange of an cochlear implant or the re-positioning of an electrode have become more frequently required than a decade ago. The consequences of such procedures at a microstructural level within the cochlea are not known. It was the aim of the present study to further investigate the effects of an CI electrode pull-out. Therefore 10 freshly harvested temporal bones (TB) were histologically evaluated after a cochlear implant electrode pull-out of a perimodiolar electrode. In additional 9 TB the intrascalar movements of the CI electrode while being pulled-out were digitally analysed by video- capturing. Histologically, a disruption of the modiolar wall or the spiral osseous lamina were not observed. In one TB, a basilar membrane lifting up was found, but it could not be undoubtedly attributed to the pull-out of the electrode. When analyzing the temporal sequence of the electrode movement during the pull-out, the electrode turned in one case so that the tip elevates the basilar membrane. The pull- out of perimodiolarly placed CI electrodes does not damage the modiolar wall at a microstructural level and should be guided (e.g., forceps) to prevent a 90 o turning of the electrode tip into the direction of the basilar membrane.

scholarly journals The Biophysical Function of the Human Eardrum

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-107
Author(s):  
Janos Vincze ◽  
Gabriella Vincze-Tiszay
Keyword(s):  
Hair Cell ◽  
Inner Ear ◽  
Acoustic Signal ◽  
Basilar Membrane ◽  
Primary Auditory Cortex ◽  
Oval Window ◽  
Speech Comprehension ◽  
Sound Waves ◽  
Auditory Ossicles ◽  
Hearing System

The hearing analyzer consists of two main systems: the peripheral hearing system, formed of the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear and the central hearing system, which contains the nervous pathways which ensure the transmission of the nervous influx and the hearing area where the information is analyzed and the hearing sensation is generated. The peripheral hearing system achieves the functions of transmission of the sound vibration, the analysis of the acoustic signal and the transformation of the acoustic signal in nervous inflow and the generation of the nervous response. The human hearing is characteristics: 1. The eardrum vibrates from the sound waves; 2. Auditory ossicles amplify the stimulus; 3. In an oval window, the vibration is transmitted to the fluid space of the inner ear; 4. It vibrates the basilar membrane; 5. What is pressed against the membrane tectoria; 6. The stereocilliums of the hair cell bend, ion channels open; 7. Hair cell depolarizes; 8. Stimulus is dissipated in cerebrospinal fluid VIII (vestibulo¬cochlearis); 9. Temporal lobe primary auditory cortex (Brodman 41, 42); 10. Association pathways: speech comprehension (Wernicke area).

scholarly journals Toward steerable electrodes. An overview of concepts and current research.

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 765-769 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas S. Rau ◽  
Silke Hügl ◽  
Thomas Lenarz ◽  
Omid Majdani
Keyword(s):  
Inner Ear ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Basilar Membrane ◽  
Clinical Success ◽  
Electrode Array ◽  
Surrounding Tissue ◽  
Clinical Implementation ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Insertion Process

AbstractRestoration of hearing is a demanding surgical task which requires the insertion of a cochlear implant electrode array into the inner ear while preserving the delicate basilar membrane inside the cochlea for an atraumatic insertion. Already shortly after the first clinical success with early versions of cochlear implants the desire for a controlled insertion of the electrode array arose. Such a steerable electrode should be in its shape adaptable to the individual path of the helical inner ear in order to avoid any contact between the implant and the surrounding tissue. This article provides a short overview of concepts and actuator mechanisms investigated in the past and present with the objective of developing a steerable electrode array for an individualized insertion process. Although none of these concepts has reached clinical implementation, there are promising experimental results indicating that insertion forces can be reduced up to 60% compared to straight and not steerable electrodes. Finally, related research topics are listed which require considerable further improvements until steerable electrodes will reach clinical applicability.

Immunolocalization of aquaporin CHIP in the guinea pig inner ear

1995 ◽  
Vol 269 (6) ◽  
pp. C1450-C1456 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. M. Stankovic ◽  
J. C. Adams ◽  
D. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Inner Ear ◽  
Basilar Membrane ◽  
Polyclonal Antibodies ◽  
Close Association ◽  
Water Channel ◽  
Normal Function ◽  
Oval Window ◽  
Spiral Ligament ◽  
Bony Labyrinth ◽  
Spiral Ligament Fibrocytes

Aquaporin CHIP (AQP-CHIP) is a water channel protein previously identified in red blood cells and water transporting epithelia. The inner ear is an organ of hearing and balance whose normal function depends critically on maintenance of fluid homeostasis. In this study, AQP-CHIP, or a close homologue, was found in specific cells of the inner ear, as assessed by immunocytochemistry with the use of affinity-purified polyclonal antibodies against AQP-CHIP.AQP-CHIP was predominantly found in fibrocytes in close association with bone, including most of the cells lining the bony labyrinth and in fibrocytes lining the endolymphatic duct and sac. AQP-CHIP-positive cells not directly apposing bone include cells under the basilar membrane, some type III fibrocytes of the spiral ligament, fibrocytes of the spiral limbus, and the trabecular perilymphatic tissue extending from the membranous to the bony labyrinth. AQP-CHIP was also found in the periosteum of the middle ear and cranial bones, as well as in chondrocytes of the oval window and stapes. The distribution of AQP-CHIP in the inner ear suggests that AQP-CHIP may have special significance for maintenance of bone and the basilar membrane, and for function of the spiral ligament.

scholarly journals Steady streaming as a method for drug delivery to the inner ear

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Sumner ◽  
Jonathan Mestel ◽  
Tobias Reichenbach
Keyword(s):  
Drug Delivery ◽  
Inner Ear ◽  
Hair Cells ◽  
Basilar Membrane ◽  
Fluid Dynamic ◽  
Nonlinear Process ◽  
Analytical Approximation ◽  
Sound Stimulation ◽  
Dynamic Simulations ◽  
Steady Streaming

AbstractThe inner ear, or cochlea, is a fluid-filled organ housing the mechanosensitive hair cells. Sound stimulation is relayed to the hair cells through waves that propagate on the elastic basilar membrane. Sensorineural hearing loss occurs from damage to the hair cells and cannot currently be cured. Although drugs have been proposed to prevent damage or restore functionality to hair cells, a difficulty with such treatments is ensuring adequate drug delivery to the cells. Because the cochlea is encased in the temporal bone, it can only be accessed from its basal end. However, the hair cells that are responsible for detecting speech-frequency sounds reside at the opposite, apical end. In this paper we show that steady streaming can be used to transport drugs along the cochlea. Steady streaming is a nonlinear process that accompanies many fluctuating fluid motions, including the sound-evoked waves in the inner ear. We combine an analytical approximation for the waves in the cochlea with computational fluid dynamic simulations to demonstrate that the combined steady streaming effects of several different frequencies can transport drugs from the base of the cochlea further towards the apex. Our results therefore show that multi-frequency sound stimulation can serve as a non-invasive method to transport drugs efficiently along the cochlea.

Studies on Fibrous Tissues of the Basilar Membrane in Inner Ear

1983 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 133-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken Nakamura ◽  
Kurata Yuge
Keyword(s):  
Inner Ear ◽  
Basilar Membrane ◽  
Fibrous Tissues

The localization and specificity of guinea pig inner ear antigenic epitopes

1995 ◽  
Vol 109 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming-Yu Cao ◽  
Michel Gersdorff ◽  
Naïma Deggouj ◽  
Jean-Paul Tomasi
Keyword(s):  
Guinea Pig ◽  
Inner Ear ◽  
Basilar Membrane ◽  
Stria Vascularis ◽  
Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Spiral Ligament ◽  
Antigenic Epitope ◽  
Acoustic Nerve ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Antigenic Epitopes

AbstractIn this study, we investigated the relative localization of some antigenic epitopes in the inner ear. The inner ear protein antigens were extracted from various parts of the guinea pig inner ear. Brain, kidney, lung, heart and liver extracts were also obtained. We found by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis that total inner ear extracts separated into three high concentration polypeptide bands with molecular weights of approximately 30, 42, 58 kd and three low density bands of 20,25 and 35 kd. The 30 kd band was found mainly in the extract of the spiral ganglion and the acoustic nerve in the modiolus. The 42 and 58 kd bands were detected in the extract of the spiral ligament and the stria vascularis. The Organ of Corti and the basilar membrane extract gave rise to three bands of 30,42 and 58 kd. Twenty-eight of the 75 sera from patients with inner ear disease reacted with the 30 and 58 kd bands of the inner ear protein extracts by immunoblotting. Sixteen of these 28 positive sera were then used to probe immunoblots of the brain, kidney, lung, heart and liver extracts. The 58 kd band was also found in protein extracts of the brain, the lung and the liver. This study suggests that the 30 kd antigenic epitope may be mainly related to the acoustic nerve and that the 58 kd antigenic epitope is not cochlear specific.

scholarly journals Targeted Deletion of Loxl3 by Col2a1-Cre Leads to Progressive Hearing Loss

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ziyi Liu ◽  
Xinfeng Bai ◽  
Peifeng Wan ◽  
Fan Mo ◽  
Ge Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Inner Ear ◽  
Essential Role ◽  
Basilar Membrane ◽  
Inflammatory Responses ◽  
Spiral Ganglion ◽  
Spiral Ligament ◽  
Progressive Hearing Loss ◽  
Secondary Degeneration ◽  
Ganglion Neurons

Collagens are major constituents of the extracellular matrix (ECM) that play an essential role in the structure of the inner ear and provide elasticity and rigidity when the signals of sound are received and transformed into electrical signals. LOXL3 is a member of the lysyl oxidase (LOX) family that are copper-dependent amine oxidases, generating covalent cross-links to stabilize polymeric elastin and collagen fibers in the ECM. Biallelic missense variant of LOXL3 was found in Stickler syndrome with mild conductive hearing loss. However, available information regarding the specific roles of LOXL3 in auditory function is limited. In this study, we showed that the Col2a1-Cre-mediated ablation of Loxl3 in the inner ear can cause progressive hearing loss, degeneration of hair cells and secondary degeneration of spiral ganglion neurons. The abnormal distribution of type II collagen in the spiral ligament and increased inflammatory responses were also found in Col2a1–Loxl3–/– mice. Amino oxidase activity exerts an effect on collagen; thus, Loxl3 deficiency was expected to result in the instability of collagen in the spiral ligament and the basilar membrane, which may interfere with the mechanical properties of the organ of Corti and induce the inflammatory responses that are responsible for the hearing loss. Overall, our findings suggest that Loxl3 may play an essential role in maintaining hearing function.

scholarly journals The Biophysical Function of the Human Inner Ear

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
pp. 01-05
Author(s):  
Janos Vincze ◽  
Gabriella Vincze-Tiszay
Keyword(s):  
Hair Cell ◽  
Inner Ear ◽  
Basilar Membrane ◽  
Mechanical Vibration ◽  
Primary Auditory Cortex ◽  
Oval Window ◽  
Speech Comprehension ◽  
Sound Waves ◽  
Auditory Nerves ◽  
Auditory Ossicles

The ear transforms soft mechanical vibration of air particles into electrical signals, which reach the appropriate part of the cerebral cortex for processing by means of auditory nerves. The process of the hearing is next: the eardrum vibrates from the sound waves; auditory ossicles amplify the stimulus; in an oval window, the vibration is transmitted to the fluid space of the inner ear; iIt vibrates the basilar membrane; what is pressed against the membrane tectoria; the stereocilliums of the hair cell bend, ion channels open; hair cell depolarizes; stimulus is dissipated in cerebrospinal fluid VIII (vestibulocochlearis); temporal lobe primary auditory cortex (Brodman 41, 42); association pathways: speech comprehension (Wernicke area). For the rising prevalence of psychoses (mental disorders) in the last decades among towns­people, these stimuli – as compared to the abandoned environment – and the adaptation to them may also play a definite role. The man, therefore, enjoying worths and conveniences of the civilization has to size every opportunity to get into the open, to compensate the monotony of the external stimuli, in a word, to grant his organism those stimuli which he claims as a biological creature. This human demand – it seems – is such a great physiological need that our organism cannot be without even in the evening. At least this turns out according to the researches relating sleep and dreaming.

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