Imaging electrically evoked micromechanical motion within the organ of corti of the excised gerbil cochlea.

ABSTRACT: The outer hair cell (OHC) of the mammalian inner ear exhibits an unusual form of somatic motility that can follow membrane-potential changes at acoustic frequencies. The cellular forces that produce this motility are believed to amplify the motion of the cochlear partition, thereby playing a key role in increasing hearing sensitivity. To better understand the role of OHC somatic motility in cochlear micromechanics, we developed an excised cochlea preparation to visualize simultaneously the electrically-evoked motion of hundreds of cells within the organ of Corti (OC). The motion was captured using stroboscopic video microscopy and quantified using cross-correlation techniques. The OC motion at approximately 2-6 octaves below the characteristic frequency of the region was complex: OHC, Deit

SUBMITTER: Karavitaki KD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1852364 | biostudies-literature | 2007 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature