Including Physiologically Based Nonlinearity in a Cochlear Model

2010 ◽  
Vol 132 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoai Jiang ◽  
Karl Grosh

The outer hair cell (OHC) is known to be the main source of nonlinear activity in the cochlea. In this work, we used a one-dimensional fluid model of the cochlea coupled to a nonlinear model of the mechanical to electric coupling of the OHC and the basilar membrane (BM). The nonlinearity arises from the electromotility and the voltage-dependent stiffness of the OHC, and from the displacement dependence of the conductance of the stereocilia. We used a reciprocal nonlinear piezoelectric model of the OHC in combination with a model of stereocilia conductance depending on BM displacement (which resulted in a nonlinear circuit model). The mechanical properties of the various components of the model were motivated from physiological components of the cochlea. Simulations showed realistic gains in the activity, response saturation at high force level, and two-tone forcing generated distortion products while the shape of the filtering function was not as accurately replicated. We conclude that a cochlear model with a simple 1D fluid representation in combination with nonlinear OHC-stereocilia electromechanical response characteristic qualitatively predicts the compression property of the cochlea and can be used as a tool to investigate the relative importance of the various nonlinearities.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Santos-Sacchi ◽  
Dhasakumar Navaratnam ◽  
Winston J. T. Tan

AbstractThe outer hair cell (OHC) membrane harbors a voltage-dependent protein, prestin (SLC26a5), in high density, whose charge movement is evidenced as a nonlinear capacitance (NLC). NLC is bell-shaped, with its peak occurring at a voltage, Vh, where sensor charge is equally distributed across the plasma membrane. Thus, Vh provides information on the conformational state of prestin. Vh is sensitive to membrane tension, shifting to positive voltage as tension increases and is the basis for considering prestin piezoelectric (PZE). NLC can be deconstructed into real and imaginary components that report on charge movements in phase or 90 degrees out of phase with AC voltage. Here we show in membrane macro-patches of the OHC that there is a partial trade-off in the magnitude of real and imaginary components as interrogation frequency increases, as predicted by a recent PZE model (Rabbitt in Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 17:21880–21888, 2020). However, we find similar behavior in a simple 2-state voltage-dependent kinetic model of prestin that lacks piezoelectric coupling. At a particular frequency, Fis, the complex component magnitudes intersect. Using this metric, Fis, which depends on the frequency response of each complex component, we find that initial Vh influences Fis; thus, by categorizing patches into groups of different Vh, (above and below − 30 mV) we find that Fis is lower for the negative Vh group. We also find that the effect of membrane tension on complex NLC is dependent, but differentially so, on initial Vh. Whereas the negative group exhibits shifts to higher frequencies for increasing tension, the opposite occurs for the positive group. Despite complex component trade-offs, the low-pass roll-off in absolute magnitude of NLC, which varies little with our perturbations and is indicative of diminishing total charge movement, poses a challenge for a role of voltage-driven prestin in cochlear amplification at very high frequencies.


Author(s):  
David Heinze ◽  
Thomas Schulenberg ◽  
Lars Behnke

A simulation model for the direct contact condensation of steam in subcooled water is presented that allows determination of major parameters of the process, such as the jet penetration length. Entrainment of water by the steam jet is modeled based on the Kelvin–Helmholtz and Rayleigh–Taylor instability theories. Primary atomization due to acceleration of interfacial waves and secondary atomization due to aerodynamic forces account for the initial size of entrained droplets. The resulting steam-water two-phase flow is simulated based on a one-dimensional two-fluid model. An interfacial area transport equation is used to track changes of the interfacial area density due to droplet entrainment and steam condensation. Interfacial heat and mass transfer rates during condensation are calculated using the two-resistance model. The resulting two-phase flow equations constitute a system of ordinary differential equations, which is solved by means of the explicit Runge–Kutta–Fehlberg algorithm. The simulation results are in good qualitative agreement with published experimental data over a wide range of pool temperatures and mass flow rates.


2005 ◽  
Vol 132 (4) ◽  
pp. 550-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haralampos Gouveris ◽  
Jan Maurer ◽  
Wolf Mann

OBJECTIVE: To investigate cochlear outer hair cell function in patients with acute tonal tinnitus and normal or near-normal hearing threshold. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective controlled study in an academic tertiary health center. Distortion products of otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE)-grams of 32 ears with acute tonal tinnitus and normal hearing or minimal hearing loss were compared with those of 17 healthy nontinnitus ears. RESULTS: Tinnitus ears exhibited relatively increased amplitudes of DPOAE at high frequencies (4-6.3 kHz) when compared with the group of healthy ears and relatively decreased DPOAE amplitudes at middle frequencies (1650-2400 Hz). Statistically significant ( P < 0.01) increased mean values of DPOAE amplitudes were observed only at a frequency of f2 equal to 4.9 kHz. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: These findings suggest an altered functional state of the outer hair cells at a selected high-frequency region of the cochlea in ears with acute tonal tinnitus and normal or near-normal hearing threshold.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Navid Bavi ◽  
Michael D Clark ◽  
Gustavo F Contreras ◽  
Rong Shen ◽  
Bharat Reddy ◽  
...  

The voltage-dependent motor protein, Prestin (SLC26A5) is responsible for the electromotive behavior of outer hair cells (OHCs). Here, we determined the structure of dolphin Prestin in complex with Cl- and the inhibitor Salicylate using single particle cryo-electron microscopy. These structures establish the specific structural features of mammalian Prestin and reveal small but significant differences with the transporter members of the SLC26 family of membrane proteins. Comparison with SLC26A9 point to conformational differences in the special relationship between the core and gate domains. Importantly, we highlight substantial alterations to the hydrophobic footprint of Prestin as it relates to the membrane, which point to a potential influence of Prestin on its surrounding lipid. The structure of Prestin bound to the inhibitor Salicylate confirms the nature of the anion binding pocket, formed by TM3 and TM10 in the Core domain and a set of anion coordinating residues which include Q97, F101, F137, S398 and R399. The presence of a well-defined density for Salycilate points to an inhibition mechanism based on competition for the anion-binding pocket of Prestin. These observations illuminate the structural basis of Prestin electromotility, a key component in the mammalian cochlear amplifier.


Author(s):  
Andrew Lehmann ◽  
Mark Wardle

AbstractWe characterise steady, one-dimensional fast and slow magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) shocks using a two-fluid model. Fast MHD shocks are magnetically driven, forcing ions to stream through the neutral gas ahead of the shock front. This magnetic precursor heats the gas sufficiently to create a large, warm transition zone where all fluid variables only weakly change in the shock front. In contrast, slow MHD shocks are driven by gas pressure where neutral species collide with ion species in a thin hot slab that closely resembles an ordinary gas dynamic shock.We computed observational diagnostics for fast and slow shocks at velocities vs=2–4 km/s and preshock Hydrogen nuclei densities nH = 102-4 cm−3. We followed the abundances of molecules relevant for a simple oxygen chemistry and include cooling by CO, H2 and H2O. Estimates of intensities of 12CO rotational lines show that high-J lines, above J = 6 → 5, are more strongly excited in slow MHD shocks.


Author(s):  
Youn-Gyu Jung ◽  
Moon-Sun Chung ◽  
Sung-Jae Yi

This study discusses on the implementation of an upwind method for a one-dimensional two-fluid model including the surface tension effect in the momentum equations. This model consists of a complete set of six equations including two-mass, two-momentum, and two-internal energy conservation equations having all real eigenvalues. Based on this equation system with upwind numerical method, the present authors first make a pilot code and then solve some benchmark problems to verify whether this model and numerical method is able to properly solve some fundamental one-dimensional two-phase flow problems or not.


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