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Lukashkin AN, Russell IJ, Rybdylova O. Local cochlear mechanical responses revealed through outer hair cell receptor potential measurements. Biophys J 2024; 123:3163-3175. [PMID: 39014895 PMCID: PMC11427782 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2024.07.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 07/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Sensory hair cells, including the sensorimotor outer hair cells, which enable the sensitive, sharply tuned responses of the mammalian cochlea, are excited by radial shear between the organ of Corti and the overlying tectorial membrane. It is not currently possible to measure directly in vivo mechanical responses in the narrow cleft between the tectorial membrane and organ of Corti over a wide range of stimulus frequencies and intensities. The mechanical responses can, however, be derived by measuring hair cell receptor potentials. We demonstrate that the seemingly complex frequency- and intensity-dependent behavior of outer hair cell receptor potentials could be qualitatively explained by a two degrees of freedom system with local cochlear partition and tectorial membrane resonances strongly coupled by the outer hair cell stereocilia. A local minimum in the receptor potential below the characteristic frequency should always be observed at a frequency where the tectorial membrane mechanical impedance is minimal, i.e., at the presumed tectorial membrane resonance frequency. The tectorial membrane resonance frequency might, however, shift with stimulus intensity in accordance with a shift in the maximum of the tectorial membrane radial mechanical responses to lower frequencies, as observed in experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrei N Lukashkin
- Sensory Neuroscience Research Group, School of Applied Science, University of Brighton, Brighton, United Kingdom.
| | - Ian J Russell
- Sensory Neuroscience Research Group, School of Applied Science, University of Brighton, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Oyuna Rybdylova
- Advanced Engineering Centre, School of Architecture, Technology and Engineering, University of Brighton, Brighton, United Kingdom.
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Lukashkina VA, Levic S, Simões P, Xu Z, Li Y, Haugen T, Zuo J, Lukashin AN, Russell IJ. Optogenetics Reveals Roles for Supporting Cells in Force Transmission to and From Outer Hair Cells in the Mouse Cochlea. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e1179232023. [PMID: 38050104 PMCID: PMC10860482 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1179-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Outer hair cells (OHCs) of the organ of Corti (OoC), acting as bidirectional cellular mechanoelectrical transducers, generate, receive, and exchange forces with other major elements of the cochlear partition, including the sensory inner hair cells (IHCs). Force exchange is mediated via a supporting cell scaffold, including Deiters' (DC) and outer pillar cells (OPC), to enable the sensitivity and exquisite frequency selectivity of the mammalian cochlea and to transmit its responses to the auditory nerve. To selectively activate DCs and OPCs in male and female mice, we conditionally expressed in them a hyperpolarizing halorhodopsin (HOP), a light-gated inward chloride ion pump, and measured extracellular receptor potentials (ERPs) and their DC component (ERPDCs) from the cortilymph, which fills the OoC fluid spaces, and compared the responses with similar potentials from HOP-/- littermates. The compound action potentials (CAP) of the auditory nerve were measured as an indication of IHC activity and transmission of cochlear responses to the CNS. HOP light-activated hyperpolarization of DCs and OPCs suppressed cochlear amplification through changing the timing of its feedback, altered basilar membrane (BM) responses to tones at all measured levels and frequencies, and reduced IHC excitation. HOP activation findings reported here complement recent studies that revealed channelrhodopsin activation depolarized DCs and OPCs and effectively bypassed, rather than blocked, the control of OHC mechanical and electrical responses to sound and their contribution to timed and directed electromechanical feedback to the mammalian cochlea. Moreover, our findings identify DCs and OPCs as potential targets for the treatment of noise-induced hearing loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria A Lukashkina
- Sensory Neuroscience Research Group, School of Applied Sciences, University of Brighton, Brighton BN2 4GJ, United Kingdom
| | - Snezana Levic
- Sensory Neuroscience Research Group, School of Applied Sciences, University of Brighton, Brighton BN2 4GJ, United Kingdom
- Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9PX, United Kingdom
| | - Patricio Simões
- Sensory Neuroscience Research Group, School of Applied Sciences, University of Brighton, Brighton BN2 4GJ, United Kingdom
| | - Zhenhang Xu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, Nebraska 68178
| | - Yuju Li
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, Nebraska 68178
| | - Trevor Haugen
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, Nebraska 68178
| | - Jian Zuo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, Nebraska 68178 ,
- Ting Therapeutics, 9310 Athena Circle, San Diego, California 92037
| | - Andrei N Lukashin
- Sensory Neuroscience Research Group, School of Applied Sciences, University of Brighton, Brighton BN2 4GJ, United Kingdom ,
| | - Ian J Russell
- Sensory Neuroscience Research Group, School of Applied Sciences, University of Brighton, Brighton BN2 4GJ, United Kingdom ,
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Altoè A, Shera CA. The Long Outer-Hair-Cell RC Time Constant: A Feature, Not a Bug, of the Mammalian Cochlea. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 2023; 24:129-145. [PMID: 36725778 PMCID: PMC10121995 DOI: 10.1007/s10162-022-00884-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The cochlea of the mammalian inner ear includes an active, hydromechanical amplifier thought to arise via the piezoelectric action of the outer hair cells (OHCs). A classic problem of cochlear biophysics is that the RC (resistance-capacitance) time constant of the hair-cell membrane appears inconveniently long, producing an effective cut-off frequency much lower than that of most audible sounds. The long RC time constant implies that the OHC receptor potential-and hence its electromotile response-decreases by roughly two orders of magnitude over the frequency range of mammalian hearing, casting doubt on the hypothesized role of cycle-by-cycle OHC-based amplification in mammalian hearing. Here, we review published data and basic physics to show that the "RC problem" has been magnified by viewing it through the wrong lens. Our analysis finds no appreciable mismatch between the expected magnitude of high-frequency electromotility and the sound-evoked displacements of the organ of Corti. Rather than precluding significant OHC-based boosts to auditory sensitivity, the long RC time constant appears beneficial for hearing, reducing the effects of internal noise and distortion while increasing the fidelity of cochlear amplification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Altoè
- Caruso Department of Otolaryngology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Christopher A Shera
- Caruso Department of Otolaryngology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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Scharr AL, Ó Maoiléidigh D, Ricci AJ. Coupling between the Stereocilia of Rat Sensory Inner-Hair-Cell Hair Bundles Is Weak, Shaping Their Sensitivity to Stimulation. J Neurosci 2023; 43:2053-2074. [PMID: 36746628 PMCID: PMC10039747 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1588-22.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The hair bundle is the universal mechanosensory organelle of auditory, vestibular, and lateral-line systems. A bundle comprises mechanically coupled stereocilia, whose displacements in response to stimulation activate a receptor current. The similarity of stereociliary displacements within a bundle regulates fundamental properties of the receptor current like its speed, magnitude, and sensitivity. However, the dynamics of individual stereocilia from the mammalian cochlea in response to a known bundle stimulus has not been quantified. We developed a novel high-speed system, which dynamically stimulates and tracks individual inner-hair-cell stereocilia from male and female rats. Stimulating two to three of the tallest stereocilia within a bundle (nonuniform stimulation) caused dissimilar stereociliary displacements. Stereocilia farther from the stimulator moved less, but with little delay, implying that there is little slack in the system. Along the axis of mechanical sensitivity, stereocilium displacements peaked and reversed direction in response to a step stimulus. A viscoelastic model explained the observed displacement dynamics, which implies that coupling between the tallest stereocilia is effectively viscoelastic. Coupling elements between the tallest inner-hair-cell stereocilia were two to three times stronger than elements anchoring stereocilia to the surface of the cell but were 100-10,000 times weaker than those of a well-studied noncochlear hair bundle. Coupling was too weak to ensure that stereocilia move similarly in response to nonuniform stimulation at auditory frequencies. Our results imply that more uniform stimulation across the tallest stereocilia of an inner-hair-cell bundle in vivo is required to ensure stereociliary displacement similarity, increasing the speed, sensitivity, and magnitude of the receptor current.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Generation of the receptor current of the hair cell is the first step in electrically encoding auditory information in the hearing organs of all vertebrates. The receptor current is shaped by mechanical coupling between stereocilia in the hair bundle of each hair cell. Here, we provide foundational information on the mechanical coupling between stereocilia of cochlear inner-hair cells. In contrast to other types of hair cell, coupling between inner-hair-cell stereocilia is weak, causing slower, smaller, and less sensitive receptor currents in response to stimulation of few, rather than many, stereocilia. Our results imply that inner-hair cells need many stereocilia to be stimulated in vivo to ensure fast, large, and sensitive receptor currents.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Anthony J Ricci
- Department of Otolaryngology
- Neuroscience Graduate Program
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305
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Cho NH, Puria S. Cochlear motion across the reticular lamina implies that it is not a stiff plate. Sci Rep 2022; 12:18715. [PMID: 36333415 PMCID: PMC9636238 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23525-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Within the cochlea, the basilar membrane (BM) is coupled to the reticular lamina (RL) through three rows of piezo-like outer hair cells (OHCs) and supporting cells that endow mammals with sensitive hearing. Anatomical differences across OHC rows suggest differences in their motion. Using optical coherence tomography, we measured in vivo and postmortem displacements through the gerbil round-window membrane from approximately the 40-47 kHz best-frequency (BF) regions. Our high spatial resolution allowed measurements across the RL surface at the tops of the three rows of individual OHCs and their bottoms, and across the BM. RL motion varied radially; the third-row gain was more than 3 times greater than that of the first row near BF, whereas the OHC-bottom motions remained similar. This implies that the RL mosaic, comprised of OHC and phalangeal-process tops joined together by adhesion molecules, is much more flexible than the Deiters' cells connected to the OHCs at their bottom surfaces. Postmortem, the measured points moved together approximately in phase. These imply that in vivo, the RL does not move as a stiff plate hinging around the pillar-cell heads near the first row as has been assumed, but that its mosaic-like structure may instead bend and/or stretch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nam Hyun Cho
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Sunil Puria
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
- Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology Program, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
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Liu J, Antisdel J, Liu C, Chen M, Dong P, Fahlman R, Ma F, Yu Y. Extensive hearing loss induced by low‐frequency noise exposure. Laryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol 2022; 7:564-570. [PMID: 35434351 PMCID: PMC9008144 DOI: 10.1002/lio2.752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background With little attention given to low‐frequency traffic noise and our understanding that cochlear function may be highly susceptible to low‐frequency noise, there is an urgent need to determine traffic noise‐induced hearing loss (NIHL), not only the hearing loss at low frequency but also the possible high‐frequency hearing loss. Methods The current study aims to investigate the potential for extensive hearing loss induced by exposure to 0.063 kHz octave band noise (OBN), which is an important component of low‐frequency traffic noise. The threshold of auditory brainstem response (ABR) was used to evaluate hearing function before and after noise exposure. Chinchillas were randomly assigned into seven different groups. Group 63‐3 h/6 h, Group 2 k‐3 h/6 h, and group 4 k‐3 h/6 h were exposed for either 3 or 6 h to 0.063, 2, and 4 kHz OBN at 90 dB SPL, respectively. The control group was not exposed to noise. Results Significant ABR threshold‐shifts (TS) were observed at 0.88, 2, 4, and 5.7 kHz in Group 63‐6 h, and at 2.8 and 4 kHz in Group 2 k‐6 h, and at 5.7 kHz in Group 4 k‐6 h. ABR‐TS were consistent with outer hair cell (OHC) losses, exposure to 0.063 kHz OBN at 90 dB SPL for 6 h induced large‐scale losses of OHC both in low‐ and high‐frequency region. Conclusions Exposure to 0.063 kHz low‐frequency OBN at 90 dB SPL for 6 h leads to significant hearing loss over an extensive range from low to high frequencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junping Liu
- Department of Otolaryngology – Head Neck Surgery, Mindong Hospital The Affiliated Mindong Hospital of Fujian Medical University Fuan China
| | - Jastin Antisdel
- Department of Otolaryngology – Head Neck Surgery Saint Louis University St. Louis Missouri USA
| | - Changming Liu
- Department of Otolaryngology – Head Neck Surgery, Mindong Hospital The Affiliated Mindong Hospital of Fujian Medical University Fuan China
| | - Miaoan Chen
- Department of Otolaryngology – Head Neck Surgery, Mindong Hospital The Affiliated Mindong Hospital of Fujian Medical University Fuan China
| | - Pin Dong
- Department of Otolaryngology – Head Neck Surgery The First Hospital of Shanghai Jiaotong University Shanghai China
| | - Richard Fahlman
- Faculty of Medicine University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada
| | - Furong Ma
- Department of Otolaryngology – Head Neck Surgery The Third Hospital of Peking University Beijing China
| | - Yongqiang Yu
- Department of Otolaryngology – Head Neck Surgery, Mindong Hospital The Affiliated Mindong Hospital of Fujian Medical University Fuan China
- Department of Otolaryngology – Head Neck Surgery Saint Louis University St. Louis Missouri USA
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7
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Zosuls A, Rupprecht LC, Mountain DC. Inner hair cell stereocilia displacement in response to focal stimulation of the basilar membrane in the ex vivo gerbil cochlea. Hear Res 2021; 412:108372. [PMID: 34775267 PMCID: PMC8756456 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2021.108372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2020] [Revised: 10/03/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The inner hair cells in the mammalian cochlea transduce mechanical signals to electrical signals that provide input to the auditory nerve. The spatial-temporal displacement of the inner hair cell stereocilia (IHCsc) relative to basilar membrane (BM) displacement is central to characterizing the transduction process. This study specifically focuses on measuring displacement of the stereocilia hair bundles in the radial dimensions where they are most sensitive. To simplify the mechanical response of the cochlear partition, a mechanical probe was used to drive the BM. Optical imaging was used to measure radial displacement of the inner hair cell stereocilia local to the probe in ex vivo gerbil cochleae. The mechanical probe displaced the BM in the transverse direction using sinusoidal stimuli with frequencies ranging from 10 Hz to 42.5 kHz. IHCsc displacement measurements were made in the radial dimension as a function of their longitudinal location along the length of the BM. The results were used to quantify the frequency response, longitudinal space coupling, traveling wave velocity, and wavelength of the radial displacement of the stereocilia. The measurements were centered at two best frequency locations along the BM: Proximal to the round window (first turn), and in the second turn. At both locations, frequency tuning was seen that was consistent with published place maps. At both locations, traveling waves were observed simultaneously propagating basal and apical from the probe. The velocity of the traveling waves at the center frequency (CF) of the location was higher in the first turn than in the second. As the stimulus frequency increased and approached CF for a location, the traveling wavelength decreased. Differential motion of the BM and IHCsc was observed in the second turn as the stimulus frequency increased toward CF. The longitudinal coupling measured in this study was longer than observed in previous studies. In summary the results suggest that the shape of the wave patterns present on the BM are not sufficient to characterize the displacement of the IHCsc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandrs Zosuls
- Hearing Research Center, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, 44 Cummington Mall, Boston, 02215, MA, United States.
| | - Laura C Rupprecht
- Hearing Research Center, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, 44 Cummington Mall, Boston, 02215, MA, United States.
| | - David C Mountain
- Hearing Research Center, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, 44 Cummington Mall, Boston, 02215, MA, United States
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8
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Mansour A, Sellon JB, Filizzola D, Ghaffari R, Cheatham MA, Freeman DM. Age-related degradation of tectorial membrane dynamics with loss of CEACAM16. Biophys J 2021; 120:4777-4785. [PMID: 34555361 PMCID: PMC8595744 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2021.09.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies of genetic disorders of sensorineural hearing loss have been instrumental in delineating mechanisms that underlie the remarkable sensitivity and selectivity that are hallmarks of mammalian hearing. For example, genetic modifications of TECTA and TECTB, which are principal proteins that comprise the tectorial membrane (TM), have been shown to alter auditory thresholds and frequency tuning in ways that can be understood in terms of changes in the mechanical properties of the TM. Here, we investigate effects of genetic modification targeting CEACAM16, a third important TM protein. Loss of CEACAM16 has been recently shown to lead to progressive reductions in sensitivity. Whereas age-related hearing losses have previously been linked to changes in sensory receptor cells, the role of the TM in progressive hearing loss is largely unknown. Here, we show that TM stiffness and viscosity are significantly reduced in adult mice that lack functional CEACAM16 relative to age-matched wild-type controls. By contrast, these same mechanical properties of TMs from juvenile mice that lack functional CEACAM16 are more similar to those of wild-type mice. Thus, changes in hearing phenotype align with changes in TM material properties and can be understood in terms of the same TM wave properties that were previously used to characterize modifications of TECTA and TECTB. These results demonstrate that CEACAM16 is essential for maintaining TM mechanical and wave properties, which in turn are necessary for sustaining the remarkable sensitivity and selectivity of mammalian hearing with increasing age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amer Mansour
- Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Jonathan B Sellon
- Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Daniel Filizzola
- Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Roozbeh Ghaffari
- Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Mary Ann Cheatham
- Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Knowles Hearing Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
| | - Dennis M Freeman
- Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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Berger J, Rubinstein J. A flexible anatomical set of mechanical models for the organ of Corti. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:210016. [PMID: 34540242 PMCID: PMC8441134 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.210016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
We build a flexible platform to study the mechanical operation of the organ of Corti (OoC) in the transduction of basilar membrane (BM) vibrations to oscillations of an inner hair cell bundle (IHB). The anatomical components that we consider are the outer hair cells (OHCs), the outer hair cell bundles, Deiters cells, Hensen cells, the IHB and various sections of the reticular lamina. In each of the components we apply Newton's equations of motion. The components are coupled to each other and are further coupled to the endolymph fluid motion in the subtectorial gap. This allows us to obtain the forces acting on the IHB, and thus study its motion as a function of the parameters of the different components. Some of the components include a nonlinear mechanical response. We find that slight bending of the apical ends of the OHCs can have a significant impact on the passage of motion from the BM to the IHB, including critical oscillator behaviour. In particular, our model implies that the components of the OoC could cooperate to enhance frequency selectivity, amplitude compression and signal to noise ratio in the passage from the BM to the IHB. Since the model is modular, it is easy to modify the assumptions and parameters for each component.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Berger
- Department of Physics and Optical Engineering, Ort Braude College, Karmiel, Israel
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He W, Ren T. The origin of mechanical harmonic distortion within the organ of Corti in living gerbil cochleae. Commun Biol 2021; 4:1008. [PMID: 34433876 PMCID: PMC8387486 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02540-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Although auditory harmonic distortion has been demonstrated psychophysically in humans and electrophysiologically in experimental animals, the cellular origin of the mechanical harmonic distortion remains unclear. To demonstrate the outer hair cell-generated harmonics within the organ of Corti, we measured sub-nanometer vibrations of the reticular lamina from the apical ends of the outer hair cells in living gerbil cochleae using a custom-built heterodyne low-coherence interferometer. The harmonics in the reticular lamina vibration are significantly larger and have broader spectra and shorter latencies than those in the basilar membrane vibration. The latency of the second harmonic is significantly greater than that of the fundamental at low stimulus frequencies. These data indicate that the mechanical harmonics are generated by the outer hair cells over a broad cochlear region and propagate from the generation sites to their own best-frequency locations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenxuan He
- Oregon Hearing Research Center, Department of Otolaryngology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Tianying Ren
- Oregon Hearing Research Center, Department of Otolaryngology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA.
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11
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Hakizimana P, Fridberger A. Inner hair cell stereocilia are embedded in the tectorial membrane. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2604. [PMID: 33972539 PMCID: PMC8110531 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22870-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Mammalian hearing depends on sound-evoked displacements of the stereocilia of inner hair cells (IHCs), which cause the endogenous mechanoelectrical transducer channels to conduct inward currents of cations including Ca2+. Due to their presumed lack of contacts with the overlaying tectorial membrane (TM), the putative stimulation mechanism for these stereocilia is by means of the viscous drag of the surrounding endolymph. However, despite numerous efforts to characterize the TM by electron microscopy and other techniques, the exact IHC stereocilia-TM relationship remains elusive. Here we show that Ca2+-rich filamentous structures, that we call Ca2+ ducts, connect the TM to the IHC stereocilia to enable mechanical stimulation by the TM while also ensuring the stereocilia access to TM Ca2+. Our results call for a reassessment of the stimulation mechanism for the IHC stereocilia and the TM role in hearing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Hakizimana
- grid.5640.70000 0001 2162 9922Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV), Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Anders Fridberger
- grid.5640.70000 0001 2162 9922Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV), Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
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12
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Jeng JY, Harasztosi C, Carlton A, Corns L, Marchetta P, Johnson SL, Goodyear RJ, Legan KP, Rüttiger L, Richardson GP, Marcotti W. MET currents and otoacoustic emissions from mice with a detached tectorial membrane indicate the extracellular matrix regulates Ca 2+ near stereocilia. J Physiol 2021; 599:2015-2036. [PMID: 33559882 PMCID: PMC7612128 DOI: 10.1113/jp280905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 10/11/2023] Open
Abstract
KEY POINTS The aim was to determine whether detachment of the tectorial membrane (TM) from the organ of Corti in Tecta/Tectb-/- mice affects the biophysical properties of cochlear outer hair cells (OHCs). Tecta/Tectb-/- mice have highly elevated hearing thresholds, but OHCs mature normally. Mechanoelectrical transducer (MET) channel resting open probability (Po ) in mature OHC is ∼50% in endolymphatic [Ca2+ ], resulting in a large standing depolarizing MET current that would allow OHCs to act optimally as electromotile cochlear amplifiers. MET channel resting Po in vivo is also high in Tecta/Tectb-/- mice, indicating that the TM is unlikely to statically bias the hair bundles of OHCs. Distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs), a readout of active, MET-dependent, non-linear cochlear amplification in OHCs, fail to exhibit long-lasting adaptation to repetitive stimulation in Tecta/Tectb-/- mice. We conclude that during prolonged, sound-induced stimulation of the cochlea the TM may determine the extracellular Ca2+ concentration near the OHC's MET channels. ABSTRACT The tectorial membrane (TM) is an acellular structure of the cochlea that is attached to the stereociliary bundles of the outer hair cells (OHCs), electromotile cells that amplify motion of the cochlear partition and sharpen its frequency selectivity. Although the TM is essential for hearing, its role is still not fully understood. In Tecta/Tectb-/- double knockout mice, in which the TM is not coupled to the OHC stereocilia, hearing sensitivity is considerably reduced compared with that of wild-type animals. In vivo, the OHC receptor potentials, assessed using cochlear microphonics, are symmetrical in both wild-type and Tecta/Tectb-/- mice, indicating that the TM does not bias the hair bundle resting position. The functional maturation of hair cells is also unaffected in Tecta/Tectb-/- mice, and the resting open probability of the mechanoelectrical transducer (MET) channel reaches values of ∼50% when the hair bundles of mature OHCs are bathed in an endolymphatic-like Ca2+ concentration (40 μM) in vitro. The resultant large MET current depolarizes OHCs to near -40 mV, a value that would allow optimal activation of the motor protein prestin and normal cochlear amplification. Although the set point of the OHC receptor potential transfer function in vivo may therefore be determined primarily by endolymphatic Ca2+ concentration, repetitive acoustic stimulation fails to produce adaptation of MET-dependent otoacoustic emissions in vivo in the Tecta/Tectb-/- mice. Therefore, the TM is likely to contribute to the regulation of Ca2+ levels around the stereocilia, and thus adaptation of the OHC MET channel during prolonged sound stimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing-Yi Jeng
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Csaba Harasztosi
- Department of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, THRC, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Adam Carlton
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Laura Corns
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Philine Marchetta
- Department of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, THRC, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Stuart L. Johnson
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | | | - Kevin P. Legan
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Lukas Rüttiger
- Department of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, THRC, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Guy P. Richardson
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Walter Marcotti
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
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13
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Liu W, Glueckert R, Schrott-Fischer A, Rask-Andersen H. Human cochlear microanatomy – an electron microscopy and super-resolution structured illumination study and review. HEARING BALANCE AND COMMUNICATION 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/21695717.2020.1807259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Wei Liu
- Department of Surgical Sciences, Head and Neck Surgery, section of Otolaryngology, Uppsala University Hospital, Department of Otolaryngology, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Rudolf Glueckert
- Department of Otolaryngology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | | | - Helge Rask-Andersen
- Department of Surgical Sciences, Head and Neck Surgery, section of Otolaryngology, Uppsala University Hospital, Department of Otolaryngology, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden
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14
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Jabeen T, Holt JC, Becker JR, Nam JH. Interactions between Passive and Active Vibrations in the Organ of Corti In Vitro. Biophys J 2020; 119:314-325. [PMID: 32579963 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2020.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2020] [Revised: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
High sensitivity and selectivity of hearing require an active cochlea. The cochlear sensory epithelium, the organ of Corti, vibrates because of external and internal excitations. The external stimulation is acoustic pressures mediated by the scala fluids, whereas the internal excitation is generated by a type of sensory receptor cells (the outer hair cells) in response to the acoustic vibrations. The outer hair cells are cellular actuators that are responsible for cochlear amplification. The organ of Corti is highly structured for transmitting vibrations originating from acoustic pressure and active outer hair cell force to the inner hair cells that synapse on afferent nerves. Understanding how the organ of Corti vibrates because of acoustic pressure and outer hair cell force is critical for explaining cochlear function. In this study, cochleae were freshly isolated from young gerbils. The organ of Corti in the excised cochlea was subjected to mechanical and electrical stimulation that are analogous to acoustic and cellular stimulation in the natural cochlea. Organ of Corti vibrations, including those of individual outer hair cells, were measured using optical coherence tomography. Respective vibration patterns due to mechanical and electrical stimulation were characterized. Interactions between the two vibration patterns were investigated by applying the two forms of stimulation simultaneously. Our results show that the interactions could be either constructive or destructive, which implies that the outer hair cells can either amplify or reduce vibrations in the organ of Corti. We discuss a potential consequence of the two interaction modes for cochlear frequency tuning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Talat Jabeen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York
| | - Joseph C Holt
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York; Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York; Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York
| | - Jonathan R Becker
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York
| | - Jong-Hoon Nam
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York; Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York; Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York.
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15
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Vencovský V, Vetešník A, Gummer AW. Nonlinear reflection as a cause of the short-latency component in stimulus-frequency otoacoustic emissions simulated by the methods of compression and suppression. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2020; 147:3992. [PMID: 32611132 DOI: 10.1121/10.0001394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Stimulus-frequency otoacoustic emissions (SFOAEs) are generated by coherent reflection of forward traveling waves by perturbations along the basilar membrane. The strongest wavelets are backscattered near the place where the traveling wave reaches its maximal amplitude (tonotopic place). Therefore, the SFOAE group delay might be expected to be twice the group delay estimated in the cochlear filters. However, experimental data have yielded steady-state SFOAE components with near-zero latency. A cochlear model is used to show that short-latency SFOAE components can be generated due to nonlinear reflection of the compressor or suppressor tones used in SFOAE measurements. The simulations indicate that suppressors produce more pronounced short-latency components than compressors. The existence of nonlinear reflection components due to suppressors can also explain why SFOAEs can still be detected when suppressors are presented more than half an octave above the probe-tone frequency. Simulations of the SFOAE suppression tuning curves showed that phase changes in the SFOAE residual as the suppressor frequency increases are mostly determined by phase changes of the nonlinear reflection component.
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Affiliation(s)
- Václav Vencovský
- Department of Radioelectronics, Czech Technical University in Prague, Technická 2, 166 27 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Aleš Vetešník
- Department of Nuclear Chemistry, Czech Technical University in Prague, Břehová 7, 115 19 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Anthony W Gummer
- Department of Otolaryngology, Section of Physiological Acoustics and Communication, Eberhard-Karls-University Tübingen, Elfriede-Aulhorn-Strasse 5, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
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16
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Goodman SS, Lee C, Guinan JJ, Lichtenhan JT. The Spatial Origins of Cochlear Amplification Assessed by Stimulus-Frequency Otoacoustic Emissions. Biophys J 2020; 118:1183-1195. [PMID: 31968228 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2019.12.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2019] [Revised: 12/04/2019] [Accepted: 12/27/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Cochlear amplification of basilar membrane traveling waves is thought to occur between a tone's characteristic frequency (CF) place and within one octave basal of the CF. Evidence for this view comes only from the cochlear base. Stimulus-frequency otoacoustic emissions (SFOAEs) provide a noninvasive alternative to direct measurements of cochlear motion that can be measured across a wide range of CF regions. Coherent reflection theory indicates that SFOAEs arise mostly from the peak region of the traveling wave, but several studies using far-basal suppressor tones claimed that SFOAE components originate many octaves basal of CF. We measured SFOAEs while perfusing guinea pig cochleas from apex to base with salicylate or KCl solutions that reduced outer-hair-cell function and SFOAE amplification. Solution effects on inner hair cells reduced auditory nerve compound action potentials (CAPs) and provided reference times for when solutions reached the SFOAE-frequency CF region. As solution flowed from apex to base, SFOAE reductions generally occurred later than CAP reductions and showed that the effects of cochlear amplification usually peaked ∼1/2 octave basal of the CF region. For tones ≥2 kHz, cochlear amplification typically extended ∼1.5 octaves basal of CF, and the data are consistent with coherent reflection theory. SFOAE amplification did not extend to the basal end of the cochlea, even though reticular lamina motion is amplified in this region, which indicates that reticular lamina motion is not directly coupled to basilar membrane traveling waves. Previous reports of SFOAE-frequency residuals produced by suppressor frequencies far above the SFOAE frequency are most likely due to additional sources created by the suppressor. For some tones <2 kHz, SFOAE amplification extended two octaves apical of CF, which highlights that different vibratory motions produce SFOAEs and CAPs, and that the amplification region depends on the cochlear mode of motion considered. The concept that there is a single "cochlear amplification region" needs to be revised.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawn S Goodman
- Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Choongheon Lee
- Department of Otolaryngology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - John J Guinan
- Department of Otolaryngology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jeffery T Lichtenhan
- Department of Otolaryngology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri.
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17
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Cochlear partition anatomy and motion in humans differ from the classic view of mammals. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:13977-13982. [PMID: 31235601 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1900787116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammals detect sound through mechanosensitive cells of the cochlear organ of Corti that rest on the basilar membrane (BM). Motions of the BM and organ of Corti have been studied at the cochlear base in various laboratory animals, and the assumption has been that the cochleas of all mammals work similarly. In the classic view, the BM attaches to a stationary osseous spiral lamina (OSL), the tectorial membrane (TM) attaches to the limbus above the stationary OSL, and the BM is the major moving element, with a peak displacement near its center. Here, we measured the motion and studied the anatomy of the human cochlear partition (CP) at the cochlear base of fresh human cadaveric specimens. Unlike the classic view, we identified a soft-tissue structure between the BM and OSL in humans, which we name the CP "bridge." We measured CP transverse motion in humans and found that the OSL moved like a plate hinged near the modiolus, with motion increasing from the modiolus to the bridge. The bridge moved almost as much as the BM, with the maximum CP motion near the bridge-BM connection. BM motion accounts for 100% of CP volume displacement in the classic view, but accounts for only 27 to 43% in the base of humans. In humans, the TM-limbus attachment is above the moving bridge, not above a fixed structure. These results challenge long-held assumptions about cochlear mechanics in humans. In addition, animal apical anatomy (in SI Appendix) doesn't always fit the classic view.
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18
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Abstract
The spatial variations of the intricate cytoarchitecture, fluid scalae, and mechano-electric transduction in the mammalian cochlea have long been postulated to provide the organ with the ability to perform a real-time, time-frequency processing of sound. However, the precise manner by which this tripartite coupling enables the exquisite cochlear filtering has yet to be articulated in a base-to-apex mathematical model. Moreover, while sound-evoked tuning curves derived from mechanical gains are excellent surrogates for auditory nerve fiber thresholds at the base of the cochlea, this correlation fails at the apex. The key factors influencing the divergence of both mechanical and neural tuning at the apex, as well as the spatial variation of mechanical tuning, are incompletely understood. We develop a model that shows that the mechanical effects arising from the combination of the taper of the cochlear scalae and the spatial variation of the cytoarchitecture of the cochlea provide robust mechanisms that modulate the outer hair cell-mediated active response and provide the basis for the transition of the mechanical gain spectra along the cochlear spiral. Further, the model predicts that the neural tuning at the base is primarily governed by the mechanical filtering of the cochlear partition. At the apex, microscale fluid dynamics and nanoscale channel dynamics must also be invoked to describe the threshold neural tuning for low frequencies. Overall, the model delineates a physiological basis for the difference between basal and apical gain seen in experiments and provides a coherent description of high- and low-frequency cochlear tuning.
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Goodyear RJ, Cheatham MA, Naskar S, Zhou Y, Osgood RT, Zheng J, Richardson GP. Accelerated Age-Related Degradation of the Tectorial Membrane in the Ceacam16βgal/βgal Null Mutant Mouse, a Model for Late-Onset Human Hereditary Deafness DFNB113. Front Mol Neurosci 2019; 12:147. [PMID: 31249509 PMCID: PMC6582249 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2019.00147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2019] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
CEACAM16 is a non-collagenous protein of the tectorial membrane, an extracellular structure of the cochlea essential for normal hearing. Dominant and recessive mutations in CEACAM16 have been reported to cause postlingual and progressive forms of deafness in humans. In a previous study of young Ceacam16βgal/βgal null mutant mice on a C57Bl/6J background, the incidence of spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs) was greatly increased relative to Ceacam16+/+ and Ceacam16+/βgal mice, but auditory brain-stem responses (ABRs) and distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) were near normal, indicating auditory thresholds were not significantly affected. To determine if the loss of CEACAM16 leads to hearing loss at later ages in this mouse line, cochlear structure and auditory function were examined in Ceacam16+/+, Ceacam16+/βgal and Ceacam16βgal/βgal mice at 6 and 12 months of age and compared to that previously described at 1 month. Analysis of older Ceacam16βgal/βgal mice reveals a progressive loss of matrix from the core of the tectorial membrane that is more extensive in the apical, low-frequency regions of the cochlea. In Ceacam16βgal/βgal mice at 6-7 months, the DPOAE magnitude at 2f1-f2 and the incidence of SOAEs both decrease relative to young animals. By ∼12 months, SOAEs and DPOAEs are not detected in Ceacam16βgal/βgal mice and ABR thresholds are increased by up to ∼40 dB across frequency, despite a complement of hair cells similar to that present in Ceacam16+/+ mice. Although SOAE incidence decreases with age in Ceacam16βgal/βgal mice, it increases in aging heterozygous Ceacam16+/βgal mice and is accompanied by a reduction in the accumulation of CEACAM16 in the tectorial membrane relative to controls. An apically-biased loss of matrix from the core of the tectorial membrane, similar to that observed in young Ceacam16βgal/βgal mice, is also seen in Ceacam16+/+ and Ceacam16+/βgal mice, and other strains of wild-type mice, but at much later ages. The loss of Ceacam16 therefore accelerates age-related degeneration of the tectorial membrane leading, as in humans with mutations in CEACAM16, to a late-onset progressive form of hearing loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J. Goodyear
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Mary Ann Cheatham
- The Knowles Hearing Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
- Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
| | - Souvik Naskar
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Yingjie Zhou
- Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
| | - Richard T. Osgood
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Jing Zheng
- The Knowles Hearing Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
- Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Guy P. Richardson
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
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20
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Abstract
A new mechanism that contributes to control of hearing sensitivity is described here. We show that an accessory structure in the hearing organ, the tectorial membrane, affects the function of inner ear sensory cells by storing calcium ions. When the calcium store is depleted, by brief exposure to rock concert-level sounds or by the introduction of calcium chelators, the sound-evoked responses of the sensory cells decrease. Upon restoration of tectorial membrane calcium, sensory cell function returns. This previously unknown mechanism contributes to explaining the temporary numbness in the ear that follows from listening to sounds that are too loud, a phenomenon that most people experience at some point in their lives. When sound stimulates the stereocilia on the sensory cells in the hearing organ, Ca2+ ions flow through mechanically gated ion channels. This Ca2+ influx is thought to be important for ensuring that the mechanically gated channels operate within their most sensitive response region, setting the fraction of channels open at rest, and possibly for the continued maintenance of stereocilia. Since the extracellular Ca2+ concentration will affect the amount of Ca2+ entering during stimulation, it is important to determine the level of the ion close to the sensory cells. Using fluorescence imaging and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, we measured the Ca2+ concentration near guinea pig stereocilia in situ. Surprisingly, we found that an acellular accessory structure close to the stereocilia, the tectorial membrane, had much higher Ca2+ than the surrounding fluid. Loud sounds depleted Ca2+ from the tectorial membrane, and Ca2+ manipulations had large effects on hair cell function. Hence, the tectorial membrane contributes to control of hearing sensitivity by influencing the ionic environment around the stereocilia.
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21
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The Competition between the Noise and Shear Motion Sensitivity of Cochlear Inner Hair Cell Stereocilia. Biophys J 2019; 114:474-483. [PMID: 29401444 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2017.11.3746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2017] [Revised: 10/11/2017] [Accepted: 11/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Acoustical excitation of the organ of Corti induces radial fluid flow in the subtectorial space (STS) that excites the hair bundles (HBs) of the sensory inner hair cell of the mammalian cochlea. The inner hair cell HBs are bathed in endolymphatic fluid filling a thin gap in the STS between the tectorial membrane and the reticular lamina. According to the fluctuation dissipation theorem, the fluid viscosity gives rise to mechanical fluctuations that are transduced into current noise. Conversely, the stochastic fluctuations of the mechanically gated channels of the HBs also induce dissipation. We develop an analytic model of the STS complex in a cross section of the gerbil organ of Corti. We predict that the dominant noise at the apex is due to the channel stochasticity whereas viscous effects dominate at the base. The net root mean square fluctuation of the HB motion is estimated to be at least 1.18 nm at the base and 2.72 nm at the apex. By varying the HB height for a fixed STS gap, we find that taller HBs are better sensors with lower thresholds. An integrated active HB model is shown to reduce the hydrodynamic resistance through a cycle-by-cycle power addition through adaptation, reducing the thresholds of hearing, hinting at one potential role for HB activity in mammalian hearing. We determine that a Couette flow approximation in the STS underestimates the dissipation and that modeling the entire STS complex is necessary to correctly predict the low-frequency dissipation in the cochlea. Finally, the difference in the noise budget at the base and the apex of the cochlea indicate that a sensing modality other than the shear motion of the TM that may be used to achieve low-noise acoustic sensing at the apex.
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22
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He W, Kemp D, Ren T. Timing of the reticular lamina and basilar membrane vibration in living gerbil cochleae. eLife 2018; 7:37625. [PMID: 30183615 PMCID: PMC6125122 DOI: 10.7554/elife.37625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2018] [Accepted: 08/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Auditory sensory outer hair cells are thought to amplify sound-induced basilar membrane vibration through a feedback mechanism to enhance hearing sensitivity. For optimal amplification, the outer hair cell-generated force must act on the basilar membrane at an appropriate time at every cycle. However, the temporal relationship between the outer hair cell-driven reticular lamina vibration and the basilar membrane vibration remains unclear. By measuring sub-nanometer vibrations directly from outer hair cells using a custom-built heterodyne low-coherence interferometer, we demonstrate in living gerbil cochleae that the reticular lamina vibration occurs after, not before, the basilar membrane vibration. Both tone- and click-induced responses indicate that the reticular lamina and basilar membrane vibrate in opposite directions at the cochlear base and they oscillate in phase near the best-frequency location. Our results suggest that outer hair cells enhance hearing sensitivity through a global hydromechanical mechanism, rather than through a local mechanical feedback as commonly supposed. What is the quietest sound the ear can detect? All sounds begin as vibrating air molecules, which enter the ear and cause the eardrum to vibrate. We can detect vibrations that move the eardrum by a distance of less than one picometer. That’s one thousandth of a nanometer, or about 100 times smaller than a hydrogen atom. But how does the ear achieve this level of sensitivity? Vibrations of the eardrum cause three small bones within the middle ear to vibrate. The vibrations then spread to the cochlea, a fluid-filled spiral structure in the inner ear. Tiny hair cells lining the cochlea move as a result of the vibrations. There are two types of hair cells: inner and outer. Outer hair cells amplify the vibrations. It is this amplification that enables us to detect such small movements of the eardrum. Inner hair cells then convert the amplified vibrations into electrical signals, which travel via the auditory nerve to the brain. The bases of outer hair cells are connected to a structure called the basilar membrane, while their tops are anchored to a structure called the reticular lamina. It was generally assumed that outer hair cells amplify vibrations of the basilar membrane via a local positive feedback mechanism that requires the hair cells to vibrate first. But by comparing the timing of reticular lamina and basilar membrane vibrations in gerbils, He et al. show that this is not the case. Outer hair cells vibrate after the basilar membrane, not before. This indicates that outer hair cells use a mechanism other than commonly assumed local feedback to amplify sounds. The results presented by He et al. change our understanding of how the cochlea works, and may help bioengineers to design better hearing aids and cochlea implants. Millions of patients worldwide who suffer from hearing loss may ultimately stand to benefit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenxuan He
- Oregon Hearing Research Center, Department of Otolaryngology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, United States
| | - David Kemp
- University College London Ear Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Tianying Ren
- Oregon Hearing Research Center, Department of Otolaryngology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, United States
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23
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Static length changes of cochlear outer hair cells can tune low-frequency hearing. PLoS Comput Biol 2018; 14:e1005936. [PMID: 29351276 PMCID: PMC5792030 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2017] [Revised: 01/31/2018] [Accepted: 12/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The cochlea not only transduces sound-induced vibration into neural spikes, it also amplifies weak sound to boost its detection. Actuators of this active process are sensory outer hair cells in the organ of Corti, whereas the inner hair cells transduce the resulting motion into electric signals that propagate via the auditory nerve to the brain. However, how the outer hair cells modulate the stimulus to the inner hair cells remains unclear. Here, we combine theoretical modeling and experimental measurements near the cochlear apex to study the way in which length changes of the outer hair cells deform the organ of Corti. We develop a geometry-based kinematic model of the apical organ of Corti that reproduces salient, yet counter-intuitive features of the organ's motion. Our analysis further uncovers a mechanism by which a static length change of the outer hair cells can sensitively tune the signal transmitted to the sensory inner hair cells. When the outer hair cells are in an elongated state, stimulation of inner hair cells is largely inhibited, whereas outer hair cell contraction leads to a substantial enhancement of sound-evoked motion near the hair bundles. This novel mechanism for regulating the sensitivity of the hearing organ applies to the low frequencies that are most important for the perception of speech and music. We suggest that the proposed mechanism might underlie frequency discrimination at low auditory frequencies, as well as our ability to selectively attend auditory signals in noisy surroundings.
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24
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Olivocochlear efferents: Their action, effects, measurement and uses, and the impact of the new conception of cochlear mechanical responses. Hear Res 2017; 362:38-47. [PMID: 29291948 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2017.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2017] [Revised: 11/08/2017] [Accepted: 12/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The anatomy and physiology of olivocochlear (OC) efferents are reviewed. To help interpret these, recent advances in cochlear mechanics are also reviewed. Lateral OC (LOC) efferents innervate primary auditory-nerve (AN) fiber dendrites. The most important LOC function may be to reduce auditory neuropathy. Medial OC (MOC) efferents innervate the outer hair cells (OHCs) and act to turn down the gain of cochlear amplification. Cochlear amplification had been thought to act only through basilar membrane (BM) motion, but recent reports show that motion near the reticular lamina (RL) is amplified more than BM motion, and that RL-motion amplification extends to several octaves below the local characteristic frequency. Data on efferent effects on AN-fiber responses, otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) and human psychophysics are reviewed and reinterpreted in the light of the new cochlear-mechanical data. The possible origin of OAEs in RL motion is considered. MOC-effect measuring methods and MOC-induced changes in human responses are also reviewed, including that ipsilateral and contralateral sound can produce MOC effects with different patterns across frequency. MOC efferents help to reduce damage due to acoustic trauma. Many, but not all, reports show that subjects with stronger contralaterally-evoked MOC effects have better ability to detect signals (e.g. speech) in noise, and that MOC effects can be modulated by attention.
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25
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Nam H, Guinan JJ. Non-tip auditory-nerve responses that are suppressed by low-frequency bias tones originate from reticular lamina motion. Hear Res 2017; 358:1-9. [PMID: 29276975 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2017.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2017] [Revised: 12/07/2017] [Accepted: 12/12/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Recent cochlear mechanical measurements show that active processes increase the motion response of the reticular lamina (RL) at frequencies more than an octave below the local characteristic frequency (CF) for CFs above 5 kHz. A possible correlate is that in high-CF (>5 kHz) auditory-nerve (AN) fibers, responses to frequencies 1-3 octaves below CF ("tail" frequencies) can be inhibited by medial olivocochlear (MOC) efferents. These results indicate that active processes enhance the sensitivity of tail-frequency RL and AN responses. Perhaps related is that some apical low-CF AN fibers have tuning-curve (TC) "side-lobe" response areas at frequencies above and below the TC-tip that are MOC inhibited. We hypothesized that the tail and side-lobe responses are enhanced by the same active mechanisms as CF cochlear amplification. If responses to CF, tail-frequency, and TC-side-lobe tones are all enhanced by prestin motility controlled by outer-hair-cell (OHC) transmembrane voltage, then they should depend on OHC stereocilia position in the same way. To test this, we cyclically changed the OHC-stereocilia mechano-electric-transduction (MET) operating point with low-frequency "bias" tones (BTs) and increased the BT level until the BT caused quasi-static OHC MET saturation that reduced or "suppressed" the gain of OHC active processes. While measuring cat AN-fiber responses, 50 Hz BT level series, 70-120 dB SPL, were run alone and with CF tones, or 2.5 kHz tail-frequency tones, or side-lobe tones. BT-tone-alone responses were used to exclude BT sound levels that produced AN responses that might obscure BT suppression. Data were analyzed to show the BT phase that suppressed the tone responses at the lowest sound level. We found that AN responses to CF, tail-frequency, and side-lobe tones were suppressed at the same BT phase in almost all cases. The data are consistent with the enhancement of responses to CF, tail-frequency, and side-lobe tones all being due to the same OHC-stereocilia MET-dependent active process. Thus, OHC active processes enhance AN responses at frequencies outside of the cochlear-amplified TC-tip region in both high- and low-frequency cochlear regions. The data are consistent with the AN response enhancements being due to enhanced RL motion that drives IHC-stereocilia deflection by traditional RL-TM shear and/or by changing the RL-TM gap. Since tail-frequency basilar membrane (BM) motion is not actively enhanced, the tail-frequency IHC drive is from a vibrational mode little present on the BM, not a "second filter" of BM motion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Nam
- Eaton-Peabody Lab, Mass. Eye and Ear Infirmary, 243 Charles St., Boston, MA 02114, USA; Harvard-MIT HST Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology Program, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - John J Guinan
- Eaton-Peabody Lab, Mass. Eye and Ear Infirmary, 243 Charles St., Boston, MA 02114, USA; Harvard-MIT HST Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology Program, Cambridge, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Dept. of Otolaryngology, Boston, MA, USA.
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26
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Goodyear RJ, Lu X, Deans MR, Richardson GP. A tectorin-based matrix and planar cell polarity genes are required for normal collagen-fibril orientation in the developing tectorial membrane. Development 2017; 144:3978-3989. [PMID: 28935705 PMCID: PMC5702074 DOI: 10.1242/dev.151696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2017] [Accepted: 09/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The tectorial membrane is an extracellular structure of the cochlea. It develops on the surface of the auditory epithelium and contains collagen fibrils embedded in a tectorin-based matrix. The collagen fibrils are oriented radially with an apically directed slant - a feature considered crucial for hearing. To determine how this pattern is generated, collagen-fibril formation was examined in mice lacking a tectorin-based matrix, epithelial cilia or the planar cell polarity genes Vangl2 and Ptk7 In wild-type mice, collagen-fibril bundles appear within a tectorin-based matrix at E15.5 and, as fibril number rapidly increases, become co-aligned and correctly oriented. Epithelial width measurements and data from Kif3acKO mice suggest, respectively, that radial stretch and cilia play little, if any, role in determining normal collagen-fibril orientation; however, evidence from tectorin-knockout mice indicates that confinement is important. PRICKLE2 distribution reveals the planar cell polarity axis in the underlying epithelium is organised along the length of the cochlea and, in mice in which this polarity is disrupted, the apically directed collagen offset is no longer observed. These results highlight the importance of the tectorin-based matrix and epithelial signals for precise collagen organisation in the tectorial membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J Goodyear
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Xiaowei Lu
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA 22098, USA
| | - Michael R Deans
- Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Guy P Richardson
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QG, UK
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Fettiplace R. Hair Cell Transduction, Tuning, and Synaptic Transmission in the Mammalian Cochlea. Compr Physiol 2017; 7:1197-1227. [PMID: 28915323 DOI: 10.1002/cphy.c160049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 207] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Sound pressure fluctuations striking the ear are conveyed to the cochlea, where they vibrate the basilar membrane on which sit hair cells, the mechanoreceptors of the inner ear. Recordings of hair cell electrical responses have shown that they transduce sound via submicrometer deflections of their hair bundles, which are arrays of interconnected stereocilia containing the mechanoelectrical transducer (MET) channels. MET channels are activated by tension in extracellular tip links bridging adjacent stereocilia, and they can respond within microseconds to nanometer displacements of the bundle, facilitated by multiple processes of Ca2+-dependent adaptation. Studies of mouse mutants have produced much detail about the molecular organization of the stereocilia, the tip links and their attachment sites, and the MET channels localized to the lower end of each tip link. The mammalian cochlea contains two categories of hair cells. Inner hair cells relay acoustic information via multiple ribbon synapses that transmit rapidly without rundown. Outer hair cells are important for amplifying sound-evoked vibrations. The amplification mechanism primarily involves contractions of the outer hair cells, which are driven by changes in membrane potential and mediated by prestin, a motor protein in the outer hair cell lateral membrane. Different sound frequencies are separated along the cochlea, with each hair cell being tuned to a narrow frequency range; amplification sharpens the frequency resolution and augments sensitivity 100-fold around the cell's characteristic frequency. Genetic mutations and environmental factors such as acoustic overstimulation cause hearing loss through irreversible damage to the hair cells or degeneration of inner hair cell synapses. © 2017 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 7:1197-1227, 2017.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Fettiplace
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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Tachos NS, Sakellarios AI, Rigas G, Isailovic V, Ni G, Bohnke F, Filipovic N, Bibas T, Fotiadis DI. Middle and inner ear modelling: from microCT images to 3D reconstruction and coupling of models. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2017; 2016:5961-5964. [PMID: 28269610 DOI: 10.1109/embc.2016.7592086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
We present finite element (FE) modeling approaches of ear mechanics including 3-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of the human middle and inner ear. Specifically, we demonstrate a semi-automatic methodology for the 3D reconstruction of the inner ear structures, a FE harmonic response model of the middle ear to predict the stapes footplate frequency response, a 2D FE slice model of the cochlea for the coupled response at the micromechanical level for either acoustic or electrical excitation and a coupled FE middle ear model with a simplified cochlea box model to simulate the basilar membrane velocity in response to acoustic excitation. The proposed methodologies are validated against experimental and literature data and the results are in good agreement.
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Nankali A, Grosh K. Simulating the Chan-Hudspeth experiment on an active excised cochlear segment. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2017; 142:215. [PMID: 28764454 PMCID: PMC5513745 DOI: 10.1121/1.4990522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2017] [Revised: 06/12/2017] [Accepted: 06/14/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Hearing relies on a series of coupled electrical, acoustical, and mechanical interactions inside the cochlea that enable sound processing. The local structural and electrical properties of the organ of Corti (OoC) and basilar membrane give rise to the global, coupled behavior of the cochlea. However, it is difficult to determine the root causes of important behavior, such as the mediator of active processes, in the fully coupled in vivo setting. An alternative experimental approach is to use an excised segment of the cochlea under controlled electrical and mechanical conditions. Using the excised cochlear segment experiment conducted by Chan and Hudspeth [Nat. Neurosci. 8, 149-155 (2005); Biophys. J. 89, 4382-4395 (2005)] as the model problem, a quasilinear computational model for studying the active in vitro response of the OoC to acoustical stimulation was developed. The model of the electrical, mechanical, and acoustical conditions of the experimental configuration is able to replicate some of the experiment results, such as the shape of the frequency response of the sensory epithelium and the variation of the resonance frequency with the added fluid mass. As in the experiment, the model predicts a phase accumulation along the segment. However, it was found that the contribution of this phase accumulation to the dynamics is insignificant. Taking advantage of the relative simplicity of the fluid loading, the three-dimensional fluid dynamics was reduced into an added mass loading on the OoC thereby reducing the overall complexity of the model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Nankali
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Karl Grosh
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
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Ciganović N, Wolde-Kidan A, Reichenbach T. Hair bundles of cochlear outer hair cells are shaped to minimize their fluid-dynamic resistance. Sci Rep 2017; 7:3609. [PMID: 28620181 PMCID: PMC5472565 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-03773-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2016] [Accepted: 05/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The mammalian sense of hearing relies on two types of sensory cells: inner hair cells transmit the auditory stimulus to the brain, while outer hair cells mechanically modulate the stimulus through active feedback. Stimulation of a hair cell is mediated by displacements of its mechanosensitive hair bundle which protrudes from the apical surface of the cell into a narrow fluid-filled space between reticular lamina and tectorial membrane. While hair bundles of inner hair cells are of linear shape, those of outer hair cells exhibit a distinctive V-shape. The biophysical rationale behind this morphology, however, remains unknown. Here we use analytical and computational methods to study the fluid flow across rows of differently shaped hair bundles. We find that rows of V-shaped hair bundles have a considerably reduced resistance to crossflow, and that the biologically observed shapes of hair bundles of outer hair cells are near-optimal in this regard. This observation accords with the function of outer hair cells and lends support to the recent hypothesis that inner hair cells are stimulated by a net flow, in addition to the well-established shear flow that arises from shearing between the reticular lamina and the tectorial membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikola Ciganović
- Imperial College London, Department of Bioengineering, London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | | | - Tobias Reichenbach
- Imperial College London, Department of Bioengineering, London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom.
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Altoè A, Pulkki V, Verhulst S. Model-based estimation of the frequency tuning of the inner-hair-cell stereocilia from neural tuning curves. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2017; 141:4438. [PMID: 28679269 DOI: 10.1121/1.4985193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
This study proposes that the frequency tuning of the inner-hair-cell (IHC) stereocilia in the intact organ of Corti can be derived from the responses of the auditory fibers (AFs) using computational tools. The frequency-dependent relationship between the AF threshold and the amplitude of the stereocilia vibration is estimated using a model of the IHC-mediated mechanical to neural transduction. Depending on the response properties of the considered AF, the amplitude of stereocilia deflection required to drive the simulated AF above threshold is 1.4 to 9.2 dB smaller at low frequencies (≤500 Hz) than at high frequencies (≥4 kHz). The estimated frequency-dependent relationship between ciliary deflection and neural threshold is employed to derive constant-stereocilia-deflection contours from previously published AF recordings from the chinchilla cochlea. This analysis shows that the transduction process partially accounts for the observed differences between the tuning of the basilar membrane and that of the AFs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Altoè
- Department of Signal Processing and Acoustics, School of Electrical Engineering, Aalto University, P.O. Box 13000, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland
| | - Ville Pulkki
- Department of Signal Processing and Acoustics, School of Electrical Engineering, Aalto University, P.O. Box 13000, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland
| | - Sarah Verhulst
- Department of Information Technology, Ghent University, Technologiepark 15, 9052 Zwijnaarde, Belgium
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Distortion-Product Otoacoustic Emission Measured Below 300 Hz in Normal-Hearing Human Subjects. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 2016; 18:197-208. [PMID: 27873084 DOI: 10.1007/s10162-016-0600-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2015] [Accepted: 10/25/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Physiological noise levels in the human ear canal often exceed naturally low levels of otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) near the threshold of hearing. Low-frequency noise, and electronic filtering to cope with it, has effectively limited the study of OAE to frequencies above about 500 Hz. Presently, a custom-built low-frequency acoustic probe was put to use in 21 normal-hearing human subjects (of 34 recruited). Distortion-product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) was measured in the enclosed ear canal volume as the response to two simultaneously presented tones with frequencies f 1 and f 2. The stimulus-frequency ratio f 2/f 1 was varied systematically to find the "optimal" ratio evoking the largest level at 2 f 1-f 2 frequencies 87.9, 176, and 264 Hz. No reference data exist in this frequency region. Results show that DPOAE exists down to at least 87.9 Hz, maintaining the bell-shaped dependence on the f 2/f 1 ratio known from higher frequencies. Toward low frequencies, however, the bell broadens and the optimal ratio increases proportionally to the bandwidth of an auditory filter as defined by the equivalent rectangular bandwidth. The DPOAE phase rotates monotonously as a function of the stimulus ratio, and its slope trend supports the notion of a lack of scaling symmetry in the apex of the cochlea.
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33
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Nam H, Guinan JJ. Low-frequency bias tone suppression of auditory-nerve responses to low-level clicks and tones. Hear Res 2016; 341:66-78. [PMID: 27550413 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2016.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2016] [Revised: 08/11/2016] [Accepted: 08/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
We used low-frequency "bias" tones (BT's) to explore whether click and tone responses are affected in the same way by cochlear active processes. In nonlinear systems the responses to clicks are not always simply related to the responses to tones. Cochlear amplifier gain depends on the incremental slope of the outer-hair-cell (OHC) stereocilia mechano-electric transduction (MET) function. BTs transiently change the operating-point of OHC MET channels and can suppress cochlear-amplifier gain by pushing OHC METs into low-slope saturation regions. BT effects on single auditory-nerve (AN) fibers have been studied on tone responses but not on click responses. We recorded from AN fibers in anesthetized cats and compared tone and click responses using 50 Hz BTs at 70-120 dB SPL to manipulate OHC stereocilia position. BTs can also excite and thereby obscure the BT suppression. We measured AN-fiber response synchrony to BTs alone so that we could exclude suppression measurements when the BT synchrony might obscure the suppression. BT suppression of low-level tone and click responses followed the traditional pattern of twice-a-BT-cycle suppression with more suppression at one phase than the other. The major suppression phases of most fibers were tightly grouped with little difference between click and tone suppressions, which is consistent with low-level click and tone responses being amplified in the same way. The data are also consistent with the operating point of the OHC MET function varying smoothly from symmetric in the base to offset in the apex, and, in contrast, with the IHC MET function being offset throughout the cochlea. As previously reported, bias-tones presented alone excited AN fibers at one or more phases, a phenomena termed "peak splitting" with most BT excitation phases ∼¼ cycle before or after the major suppression phase. We explain peak splitting as being due to distortion in multiple fluid drives to inner-hair-cell stereocilia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Nam
- Eaton-Peabody Lab, Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary, 243 Charles St., Boston MA 02114, USA; Harvard-MIT HST Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology Program, Cambridge MA, USA.
| | - John J Guinan
- Eaton-Peabody Lab, Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary, 243 Charles St., Boston MA 02114, USA; Harvard-MIT HST Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology Program, Cambridge MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, USA.
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34
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Ni G, Elliott SJ, Baumgart J. Finite-element model of the active organ of Corti. J R Soc Interface 2016; 13:20150913. [PMID: 26888950 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2015.0913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The cochlear amplifier that provides our hearing with its extraordinary sensitivity and selectivity is thought to be the result of an active biomechanical process within the sensory auditory organ, the organ of Corti. Although imaging techniques are developing rapidly, it is not currently possible, in a fully active cochlea, to obtain detailed measurements of the motion of individual elements within a cross section of the organ of Corti. This motion is predicted using a two-dimensional finite-element model. The various solid components are modelled using elastic elements, the outer hair cells (OHCs) as piezoelectric elements and the perilymph and endolymph as viscous and nearly incompressible fluid elements. The model is validated by comparison with existing measurements of the motions within the passive organ of Corti, calculated when it is driven either acoustically, by the fluid pressure or electrically, by excitation of the OHCs. The transverse basilar membrane (BM) motion and the shearing motion between the tectorial membrane and the reticular lamina are calculated for these two excitation modes. The fully active response of the BM to acoustic excitation is predicted using a linear superposition of the calculated responses and an assumed frequency response for the OHC feedback.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangjian Ni
- Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, University of Southampton, Highfield Campus, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Stephen J Elliott
- Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, University of Southampton, Highfield Campus, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Johannes Baumgart
- Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Nöthnitzer Strasse 38, 01187 Dresden, Germany
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Abstract
The perceptual insensitivity to low frequency (LF) sound in humans has led to an underestimation of the physiological impact of LF exposure on the inner ear. It is known, however, that intense, LF sound causes cyclic changes of indicators of inner ear function after LF stimulus offset, for which the term "Bounce" phenomenon has been coined.Here, we show that the mechanical amplification of hair cells (OHCs) is significantly affected after the presentation of LF sound. First, we show the Bounce phenomenon in slow level changes of quadratic, but not cubic, distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs). Second, Bouncing in response to LF sound is seen in slow, oscillating frequency and correlated level changes of spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs). Surprisingly, LF sound can induce new SOAEs which can persist for tens of seconds. Further, we show that the Bounce persists under free-field conditions, i.e. without an in-ear probe occluding the auditory meatus. Finally, we show that the Bounce is affected by contralateral acoustic stimulation synchronised to the ipsilateral LF sound. These findings clearly demonstrate that the origin of the Bounce lies in the modulation of cochlear amplifier gain. We conclude that activity changes of OHCs are the source of the Bounce, most likely caused by a temporary disturbance of OHC calcium homeostasis. In the light of these findings, the effects of long-duration, anthropogenic LF sound on the human inner ear require further research.
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36
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Harasztosi C, Gummer AW. The chloride-channel blocker 9-anthracenecarboxylic acid reduces the nonlinear capacitance of prestin-associated charge movement. Eur J Neurosci 2016; 43:1062-74. [PMID: 26869218 PMCID: PMC5111741 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2013] [Revised: 02/09/2016] [Accepted: 02/09/2016] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
The basis of the extraordinary sensitivity and frequency selectivity of the cochlea is a chloride-sensitive protein called prestin which can produce an electromechanical response and which resides in the basolateral plasma membrane of outer hair cells (OHCs). The compound 9-anthracenecarboxylic acid (9-AC), an inhibitor of chloride channels, has been found to reduce the electromechanical response of the cochlea and the OHC mechanical impedance. To elucidate these 9-AC effects, the functional electromechanical status of prestin was assayed by measuring the nonlinear capacitance of OHCs from the guinea-pig cochlea and of prestin-transfected human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK 293) cells. Extracellular application of 9-AC caused reversible, dose-dependent and chloride-sensitive reduction in OHC nonlinear charge transfer, Qmax . Prestin-transfected cells also showed reversible reduction in Qmax . For OHCs, intracellular 9-AC application as well as reduced intracellular pH had no detectable effect on the reduction in Qmax by extracellularly applied 9-AC. In the prestin-transfected cells, cytosolic application of 9-AC approximately halved the blocking efficacy of extracellularly applied 9-AC. OHC inside-out patches presented the whole-cell blocking characteristics. Disruption of the cytoskeleton by preventing actin polymerization with latrunculin A or by decoupling of spectrin from actin with diamide did not affect the 9-AC-evoked reduction in Qmax . We conclude that 9-AC acts on the electromechanical transducer principally by interaction with prestin rather than acting via the cytoskeleton, chloride channels or pH. The 9-AC block presents characteristics in common with salicylate, but is almost an order of magnitude faster. 9-AC provides a new tool for elucidating the molecular dynamics of prestin function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Csaba Harasztosi
- Section of Physiological Acoustics and Communication, Faculty of Medicine, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Anthony W Gummer
- Section of Physiological Acoustics and Communication, Faculty of Medicine, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
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37
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Ren T, He W, Barr-Gillespie PG. Reverse transduction measured in the living cochlea by low-coherence heterodyne interferometry. Nat Commun 2016; 7:10282. [PMID: 26732830 PMCID: PMC4729828 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2015] [Accepted: 11/25/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
It is generally believed that the remarkable sensitivity and frequency selectivity of mammalian hearing depend on outer hair cell-generated force, which amplifies sound-induced vibrations inside the cochlea. This 'reverse transduction' force production has never been demonstrated experimentally, however, in the living ear. Here by directly measuring microstructure vibrations inside the cochlear partition using a custom-built interferometer, we demonstrate that electrical stimulation can evoke both fast broadband and slow sharply tuned responses of the reticular lamina, but only a slow tuned response of the basilar membrane. Our results indicate that outer hair cells can generate sufficient force to drive the reticular lamina over all audible frequencies in living cochleae. Contrary to expectations, the cellular force causes a travelling wave rather than an immediate local vibration of the basilar membrane; this travelling wave vibrates in phase with the reticular lamina at the best frequency, and results in maximal vibration at the apical ends of outer hair cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianying Ren
- Oregon Hearing Research Center, Department of Otolaryngology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239, USA
| | - Wenxuan He
- Oregon Hearing Research Center, Department of Otolaryngology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239, USA
| | - Peter G. Barr-Gillespie
- Oregon Hearing Research Center, Department of Otolaryngology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239, USA
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38
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Power dissipation in the subtectorial space of the mammalian cochlea is modulated by inner hair cell stereocilia. Biophys J 2015; 108:479-88. [PMID: 25650916 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2014.12.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2014] [Revised: 11/26/2014] [Accepted: 12/15/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The stereocilia bundle is the mechano-transduction apparatus of the inner ear. In the mammalian cochlea, the stereocilia bundles are situated in the subtectorial space (STS)--a micrometer-thick space between two flat surfaces vibrating relative to each other. Because microstructures vibrating in fluid are subject to high-viscous friction, previous studies considered the STS as the primary place of energy dissipation in the cochlea. Although there have been extensive studies on how metabolic energy is used to compensate the dissipation, much less attention has been paid to the mechanism of energy dissipation. Using a computational model, we investigated the power dissipation in the STS. The model simulates fluid flow around the inner hair cell (IHC) stereocilia bundle. The power dissipation in the STS because of the presence IHC stereocilia increased as the stimulating frequency decreased. Along the axis of the stimulating frequency, there were two asymptotic values of power dissipation. At high frequencies, the power dissipation was determined by the shear friction between the two flat surfaces of the STS. At low frequencies, the power dissipation was dominated by the viscous friction around the IHC stereocilia bundle--the IHC stereocilia increased the STS power dissipation by 50- to 100-fold. There exists a characteristic frequency for STS power dissipation, CFSTS, defined as the frequency where power dissipation drops to one-half of the low frequency value. The IHC stereocilia stiffness and the gap size between the IHC stereocilia and the tectorial membrane determine the characteristic frequency. In addition to the generally assumed shear flow, nonshear STS flow patterns were simulated. Different flow patterns have little effect on the CFSTS. When the mechano-transduction of the IHC was tuned near the vibrating frequency, the active motility of the IHC stereocilia bundle reduced the power dissipation in the STS.
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Berezina-Greene MA, Guinan JJ. Stimulus Frequency Otoacoustic Emission Delays and Generating Mechanisms in Guinea Pigs, Chinchillas, and Simulations. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 2015; 16:679-94. [PMID: 26373935 DOI: 10.1007/s10162-015-0543-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2015] [Accepted: 08/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
According to coherent reflection theory (CRT), stimulus frequency otoacoustic emissions (SFOAEs) arise from cochlear irregularities coherently reflecting energy from basilar membrane motion within the traveling-wave peak. This reflected energy arrives in the ear canal predominantly with a single delay at each frequency. However, data from humans and animals indicate that (1) SFOAEs can have multiple delay components, (2) low-frequency SFOAE delays are too short to be accounted for by CRT, and (3) "SFOAEs" obtained with a 2nd ("suppressor") tone ≥2 octaves above the probe tone have been interpreted as arising from the area basal to the region of cochlear amplification. To explore these issues, we collected SFOAEs by the suppression method in guinea pigs and time-frequency analyzed these data, simulated SFOAEs, and published chinchilla SFOAEs. Time-frequency analysis revealed that most frequencies showed only one SFOAE delay component while other frequencies had multiple components including some with short delays. We found no systematic patterns in the occurrence of multiple delay components. Using a cochlear model that had significant basilar membrane motion only in the peak region of the traveling wave, simulated SFOAEs had single and multiple delay components similar to the animal SFOAEs. This result indicates that multiple components (including ones with short delays) can originate from cochlear mechanical irregularities in the SFOAE peak region and are not necessarily indicative of SFOAE sources in regions ≥2 octaves basal of the SFOAE peak region. We conclude that SFOAEs obtained with suppressors close to the probe frequency provide information primarily about the mechanical response in the region that receives amplification, and we attribute the too-short SFOAE delays at low frequencies to distortion-source SFOAEs and coherent reflection from multiple cochlear motions. Our findings suggest that CRT needs revision to include reflections from multiple motions in the cochlear apex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria A Berezina-Greene
- Eaton-Peabody Lab, Mass. Eye and Ear Infirmary, 243 Charles St, Boston, MA, 02114, USA. .,Harvard-MIT HST Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology Program, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - John J Guinan
- Eaton-Peabody Lab, Mass. Eye and Ear Infirmary, 243 Charles St, Boston, MA, 02114, USA. .,Harvard-MIT HST Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology Program, Cambridge, MA, USA. .,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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40
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Consequences of Location-Dependent Organ of Corti Micro-Mechanics. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0133284. [PMID: 26317521 PMCID: PMC4552730 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0133284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2015] [Accepted: 06/25/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The cochlea performs frequency analysis and amplification of sounds. The graded stiffness of the basilar membrane along the cochlear length underlies the frequency-location relationship of the mammalian cochlea. The somatic motility of outer hair cell is central for cochlear amplification. Despite two to three orders of magnitude change in the basilar membrane stiffness, the force capacity of the outer hair cell’s somatic motility, is nearly invariant over the cochlear length. It is puzzling how actuators with a constant force capacity can operate under such a wide stiffness range. We hypothesize that the organ of Corti sets the mechanical conditions so that the outer hair cell’s somatic motility effectively interacts with the media of traveling waves—the basilar membrane and the tectorial membrane. To test this hypothesis, a computational model of the gerbil cochlea was developed that incorporates organ of Corti structural mechanics, cochlear fluid dynamics, and hair cell electro-physiology. The model simulations showed that the micro-mechanical responses of the organ of Corti are different along the cochlear length. For example, the top surface of the organ of Corti vibrated more than the bottom surface at the basal (high frequency) location, but the amplitude ratio was reversed at the apical (low frequency) location. Unlike the basilar membrane stiffness varying by a factor of 1700 along the cochlear length, the stiffness of the organ of Corti complex felt by the outer hair cell remained between 1.5 and 0.4 times the outer hair cell stiffness. The Y-shaped structure in the organ of Corti formed by outer hair cell, Deiters cell and its phalange was the primary determinant of the elastic reactance imposed on the outer hair cells. The stiffness and geometry of the Deiters cell and its phalange affected cochlear amplification differently depending on the location.
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Kugler K, Wiegrebe L, Gürkov R, Krause E, Drexl M. Concurrent Acoustic Activation of the Medial Olivocochlear System Modifies the After-Effects of Intense Low-Frequency Sound on the Human Inner Ear. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 2015; 16:713-25. [PMID: 26264256 DOI: 10.1007/s10162-015-0538-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2015] [Accepted: 07/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
>Human hearing is rather insensitive for very low frequencies (i.e. below 100 Hz). Despite this insensitivity, low-frequency sound can cause oscillating changes of cochlear gain in inner ear regions processing even much higher frequencies. These alterations outlast the duration of the low-frequency stimulation by several minutes, for which the term 'bounce phenomenon' has been coined. Previously, we have shown that the bounce can be traced by monitoring frequency and level changes of spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs) over time. It has been suggested elsewhere that large receptor potentials elicited by low-frequency stimulation produce a net Ca(2+) influx and associated gain decrease in outer hair cells. The bounce presumably reflects an underdamped, homeostatic readjustment of increased Ca(2+) concentrations and related gain changes after low-frequency sound offset. Here, we test this hypothesis by activating the medial olivocochlear efferent system during presentation of the bounce-evoking low-frequency (LF) sound. The efferent system is known to modulate outer hair cell Ca(2+) concentrations and receptor potentials, and therefore, it should modulate the characteristics of the bounce phenomenon. We show that simultaneous presentation of contralateral broadband noise (100 Hz-8 kHz, 65 and 70 dB SPL, 90 s, activating the efferent system) and ipsilateral low-frequency sound (30 Hz, 120 dB SPL, 90 s, inducing the bounce) affects the characteristics of bouncing SOAEs recorded after low-frequency sound offset. Specifically, the decay time constant of the SOAE level changes is shorter, and the transient SOAE suppression is less pronounced. Moreover, the number of new, transient SOAEs as they are seen during the bounce, are reduced. Taken together, activation of the medial olivocochlear system during induction of the bounce phenomenon with low-frequency sound results in changed characteristics of the bounce phenomenon. Thus, our data provide experimental support for the hypothesis that outer hair cell calcium homeostasis is the source of the bounce phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Kugler
- German Center for Vertigo and Balance Disorders (IFB), Grosshadern Medical Centre, University of Munich, 81377, Munich, Germany.,Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Grosshadern Medical Centre, University of Munich, 81377, Munich, Germany.,Division of Neurobiology, Department Biology II, University of Munich, 82152, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Lutz Wiegrebe
- German Center for Vertigo and Balance Disorders (IFB), Grosshadern Medical Centre, University of Munich, 81377, Munich, Germany.,Division of Neurobiology, Department Biology II, University of Munich, 82152, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Robert Gürkov
- German Center for Vertigo and Balance Disorders (IFB), Grosshadern Medical Centre, University of Munich, 81377, Munich, Germany.,Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Grosshadern Medical Centre, University of Munich, 81377, Munich, Germany
| | - Eike Krause
- German Center for Vertigo and Balance Disorders (IFB), Grosshadern Medical Centre, University of Munich, 81377, Munich, Germany.,Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Grosshadern Medical Centre, University of Munich, 81377, Munich, Germany
| | - Markus Drexl
- German Center for Vertigo and Balance Disorders (IFB), Grosshadern Medical Centre, University of Munich, 81377, Munich, Germany. .,Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Grosshadern Medical Centre, University of Munich, 81377, Munich, Germany. .,Division of Neurobiology, Department Biology II, University of Munich, 82152, Martinsried, Germany.
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Teudt IU, Richter CP. Basilar membrane and tectorial membrane stiffness in the CBA/CaJ mouse. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 2014; 15:675-94. [PMID: 24865766 PMCID: PMC4164692 DOI: 10.1007/s10162-014-0463-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2012] [Accepted: 05/07/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The mouse has become an important animal model in understanding cochlear function. Structures, such as the tectorial membrane or hair cells, have been changed by gene manipulation, and the resulting effect on cochlear function has been studied. To contrast those findings, physical properties of the basilar membrane (BM) and tectorial membrane (TM) in mice without gene mutation are of great importance. Using the hemicochlea of CBA/CaJ mice, we have demonstrated that tectorial membrane (TM) and basilar membrane (BM) revealed a stiffness gradient along the cochlea. While a simple spring mass resonator predicts the change in the characteristic frequency of the BM, the spring mass model does not predict the frequency change along the TM. Plateau stiffness values of the TM were 0.6 ± 0.5, 0.2 ± 0.1, and 0.09 ± 0.09 N/m for the basal, middle, and upper turns, respectively. The BM plateau stiffness values were 3.7 ± 2.2, 1.2 ± 1.2, and 0.5 ± 0.5 N/m for the basal, middle, and upper turns, respectively. Estimations of the TM Young's modulus (in kPa) revealed 24.3 ± 25.2 for the basal turns, 5.1 ± 4.5 for the middle turns, and 1.9 ± 1.6 for the apical turns. Young's modulus determined at the BM pectinate zone was 76.8 ± 72, 23.9 ± 30.6, and 9.4 ± 6.2 kPa for the basal, middle, and apical turns, respectively. The reported stiffness values of the CBA/CaJ mouse TM and BM provide basic data for the physical properties of its organ of Corti.
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Affiliation(s)
- I. U. Teudt
- />Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Searle Building 12-561; 303 East Chicago Avenue, 60611-3008 Chicago, IL USA
- />Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, University Clinic Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- />Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Asklepios Clinic Altona, Hamburg, Germany
| | - C. P. Richter
- />Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Searle Building 12-561; 303 East Chicago Avenue, 60611-3008 Chicago, IL USA
- />Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL USA
- />Hugh Knowles Center, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL USA
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Loss of the tectorial membrane protein CEACAM16 enhances spontaneous, stimulus-frequency, and transiently evoked otoacoustic emissions. J Neurosci 2014; 34:10325-38. [PMID: 25080593 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1256-14.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
α-Tectorin (TECTA), β-tectorin (TECTB), and carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 16 (CEACAM) are secreted glycoproteins that are present in the tectorial membrane (TM), an extracellular structure overlying the hearing organ of the inner ear, the organ of Corti. Previous studies have shown that TECTA and TECTB are both required for formation of the striated-sheet matrix within which collagen fibrils of the TM are imbedded and that CEACAM16 interacts with TECTA. To learn more about the structural and functional significance of CEACAM16, we created a Ceacam16-null mutant mouse. In the absence of CEACAM16, TECTB levels are reduced, a clearly defined striated-sheet matrix does not develop, and Hensen's stripe, a prominent feature in the basal two-thirds of the TM in WT mice, is absent. CEACAM16 is also shown to interact with TECTB, indicating that it may stabilize interactions between TECTA and TECTB. Although brain-stem evoked responses and distortion product otoacoustic emissions are, for most frequencies, normal in young mice lacking CEACAM16, stimulus-frequency and transiently evoked emissions are larger. We also observed spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs) in 70% of the homozygous mice. This incidence is remarkable considering that <3% of WT controls have SOAEs. The predominance of SOAEs >15 kHz correlates with the loss of Hensen's stripe. Results from mice lacking CEACAM16 are consistent with the idea that the organ of Corti evolved to maximize the gain of the cochlear amplifier while preventing large oscillations. Changes in TM structure appear to influence the balance between energy generation and dissipation such that the system becomes unstable.
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Abstract
The detection of sound by the mammalian hearing organ involves a complex mechanical interplay among different cell types. The inner hair cells, which are the primary sensory receptors, are stimulated by the structural vibrations of the entire organ of Corti. The outer hair cells are thought to modulate these sound-evoked vibrations to enhance hearing sensitivity and frequency resolution, but it remains unclear whether other structures also contribute to frequency tuning. In the current study, sound-evoked vibrations were measured at the stereociliary side of inner and outer hair cells and their surrounding supporting cells, using optical coherence tomography interferometry in living anesthetized guinea pigs. Our measurements demonstrate the presence of multiple vibration modes as well as significant differences in frequency tuning and response phase among different cell types. In particular, the frequency tuning at the inner hair cells differs from other cell types, causing the locus of maximum inner hair cell activation to be shifted toward the apex of the cochlea compared with the outer hair cells. These observations show that additional processing and filtering of acoustic signals occur within the organ of Corti before inner hair cell excitation, representing a departure from established theories.
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Abstract
The exceptional sensitivity of mammalian hearing organs is attributed to an active process, where force produced by sensory cells boost sound-induced vibrations, making soft sounds audible. This process is thought to be local, with each section of the hearing organ capable of amplifying sound-evoked movement, and nearly instantaneous, since amplification can work for sounds at frequencies up to 100 kHz in some species. To test these fundamental precepts, we developed a method for focally stimulating the living hearing organ with light. Light pulses caused intense and highly damped mechanical responses followed by traveling waves that developed with considerable delay. The delayed response was identical to movements evoked by click-like sounds. This shows that the active process is neither local nor instantaneous, but requires mechanical waves traveling from the cochlear base toward its apex. A physiologically-based mathematical model shows that such waves engage the active process, enhancing hearing sensitivity.
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Ni G, Elliott SJ, Ayat M, Teal PD. Modelling cochlear mechanics. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2014; 2014:150637. [PMID: 25136555 PMCID: PMC4130145 DOI: 10.1155/2014/150637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2014] [Accepted: 06/02/2014] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
The cochlea plays a crucial role in mammal hearing. The basic function of the cochlea is to map sounds of different frequencies onto corresponding characteristic positions on the basilar membrane (BM). Sounds enter the fluid-filled cochlea and cause deflection of the BM due to pressure differences between the cochlear fluid chambers. These deflections travel along the cochlea, increasing in amplitude, until a frequency-dependent characteristic position and then decay away rapidly. The hair cells can detect these deflections and encode them as neural signals. Modelling the mechanics of the cochlea is of help in interpreting experimental observations and also can provide predictions of the results of experiments that cannot currently be performed due to technical limitations. This paper focuses on reviewing the numerical modelling of the mechanical and electrical processes in the cochlea, which include fluid coupling, micromechanics, the cochlear amplifier, nonlinearity, and electrical coupling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangjian Ni
- Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Stephen J. Elliott
- Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Mohammad Ayat
- School of Engineering and Computer Science, Victoria University of Wellington, P.O. Box 600, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
| | - Paul D. Teal
- School of Engineering and Computer Science, Victoria University of Wellington, P.O. Box 600, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
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Gao SS, Wang R, Raphael PD, Moayedi Y, Groves AK, Zuo J, Applegate BE, Oghalai JS. Vibration of the organ of Corti within the cochlear apex in mice. J Neurophysiol 2014; 112:1192-204. [PMID: 24920025 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00306.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The tonotopic map of the mammalian cochlea is commonly thought to be determined by the passive mechanical properties of the basilar membrane. The other tissues and cells that make up the organ of Corti also have passive mechanical properties; however, their roles are less well understood. In addition, active forces produced by outer hair cells (OHCs) enhance the vibration of the basilar membrane, termed cochlear amplification. Here, we studied how these biomechanical components interact using optical coherence tomography, which permits vibratory measurements within tissue. We measured not only classical basilar membrane tuning curves, but also vibratory responses from the rest of the organ of Corti within the mouse cochlear apex in vivo. As expected, basilar membrane tuning was sharp in live mice and broad in dead mice. Interestingly, the vibratory response of the region lateral to the OHCs, the "lateral compartment," demonstrated frequency-dependent phase differences relative to the basilar membrane. This was sharply tuned in both live and dead mice. We then measured basilar membrane and lateral compartment vibration in transgenic mice with targeted alterations in cochlear mechanics. Prestin(499/499), Prestin(-/-), and Tecta(C1509G/C1509G) mice demonstrated no cochlear amplification but maintained the lateral compartment phase difference. In contrast, Sfswap(Tg/Tg) mice maintained cochlear amplification but did not demonstrate the lateral compartment phase difference. These data indicate that the organ of Corti has complex micromechanical vibratory characteristics, with passive, yet sharply tuned, vibratory characteristics associated with the supporting cells. These characteristics may tune OHC force generation to produce the sharp frequency selectivity of mammalian hearing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon S Gao
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California; Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas
| | - Rosalie Wang
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Patrick D Raphael
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Yalda Moayedi
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Andrew K Groves
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas; Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas; Program in Developmental Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Jian Zuo
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee; and
| | - Brian E Applegate
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
| | - John S Oghalai
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California;
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Nayak G, Lee SI, Yousaf R, Edelmann SE, Trincot C, Van Itallie CM, Sinha GP, Rafeeq M, Jones SM, Belyantseva IA, Anderson JM, Forge A, Frolenkov GI, Riazuddin S. Tricellulin deficiency affects tight junction architecture and cochlear hair cells. J Clin Invest 2013; 123:4036-49. [PMID: 23979167 DOI: 10.1172/jci69031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2013] [Accepted: 05/30/2013] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The two compositionally distinct extracellular cochlear fluids, endolymph and perilymph, are separated by tight junctions that outline the scala media and reticular lamina. Mutations in TRIC (also known as MARVELD2), which encodes a tricellular tight junction protein known as tricellulin, lead to nonsyndromic hearing loss (DFNB49). We generated a knockin mouse that carries a mutation orthologous to the TRIC coding mutation linked to DFNB49 hearing loss in humans. Tricellulin was absent from the tricellular junctions in the inner ear epithelia of the mutant animals, which developed rapidly progressing hearing loss accompanied by loss of mechanosensory cochlear hair cells, while the endocochlear potential and paracellular permeability of a biotin-based tracer in the stria vascularis were unaltered. Freeze-fracture electron microscopy revealed disruption of the strands of intramembrane particles connecting bicellular and tricellular junctions in the inner ear epithelia of tricellulin-deficient mice. These ultrastructural changes may selectively affect the paracellular permeability of ions or small molecules, resulting in a toxic microenvironment for cochlear hair cells. Consistent with this hypothesis, hair cell loss was rescued in tricellulin-deficient mice when generation of normal endolymph was inhibited by a concomitant deletion of the transcription factor, Pou3f4. Finally, comprehensive phenotypic screening showed a broader pathological phenotype in the mutant mice, which highlights the non-redundant roles played by tricellulin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gowri Nayak
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Division of Pediatric Otolaryngology / Head and Neck Surgery, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Research Foundation, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229, USA
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Salt AN, Lichtenhan JT, Gill RM, Hartsock JJ. Large endolymphatic potentials from low-frequency and infrasonic tones in the guinea pig. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2013; 133:1561-71. [PMID: 23464026 DOI: 10.1121/1.4789005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Responses of the ear to low-frequency and infrasonic sounds have not been extensively studied. Understanding how the ear responds to low frequencies is increasingly important as environmental infrasounds are becoming more pervasive from sources such as wind turbines. This study shows endolymphatic potentials in the third cochlear turn from acoustic infrasound (5 Hz) are larger than from tones in the audible range (e.g., 50 and 500 Hz), in some cases with peak-to-peak amplitude greater than 20 mV. These large potentials were suppressed by higher-frequency tones and were rapidly abolished by perilymphatic injection of KCl at the cochlear apex, demonstrating their third-turn origins. Endolymphatic iso-potentials from 5 to 500 Hz were enhanced relative to perilymphatic potentials as frequency was lowered. Probe and infrasonic bias tones were used to study the origin of the enhanced potentials. Potentials were best explained as a saturating response summed with a sinusoidal voltage (Vo), that was phase delayed by an average of 60° relative to the biasing effects of the infrasound. Vo is thought to arise indirectly from hair cell activity, such as from strial potential changes caused by sustained current changes through the hair cells in each half cycle of the infrasound.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alec N Salt
- Department of Otolaryngology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.
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50
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Abstract
The tectorial membrane (TM) clearly plays a mechanical role in stimulating cochlear sensory receptors, but the presence of fixed charge in TM constituents suggests that electromechanical properties also may be important. Here, we measure the fixed charge density of the TM and show that this density of fixed charge is sufficient to affect mechanical properties and to generate electrokinetic motions. In particular, alternating currents applied to the middle and marginal zones of isolated TM segments evoke motions at audio frequencies (1-1,000 Hz). Electrically evoked motions are nanometer scaled (∼5-900 nm), decrease with increasing stimulus frequency, and scale linearly over a broad range of electric field amplitudes (0.05-20 kV/m). These findings show that the mammalian TM is highly charged and suggest the importance of a unique TM electrokinetic mechanism.
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