.) This project is designed to describe some salient characteristics of mammalian cochlear hair cells. There are two types of such cells in our ears, inner hair cells and outer hair cells. The former are thought to be the true sensory receptors of the ear; they convey auditory information to the central nervous system. Outer hair cells, in contrast, may have primarily a mechanical effector (feedback) role in that they modify the mechanical input to the inner hair cells. To be studied in this project is the stimulus-response relations (electrical response versus hair deflection) for the two hair cell types in isolated organ of Corti segments. Also proposed is to study the mechanical motile response of outer hair cells to electrical stimulation and to hair deflection. These studies are conducted on single isolated outer hair cells for which a real life-like electrical-chemical-mechanical environment is provided. Hair cells are the key elements in the hearing process and their defects are the cause for the vast majority of hearing loss and deafness. Understanding their properties is a prerequisite for the eventual remediation of most hearing disorders.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
1R01DC000708-01
Application #
3217372
Study Section
Hearing Research Study Section (HAR)
Project Start
1990-04-01
Project End
1995-03-31
Budget Start
1990-04-01
Budget End
1991-03-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
1990
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Northwestern University at Chicago
Department
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
City
Evanston
State
IL
Country
United States
Zip Code
60201
Emadi, Gulam; Richter, Claus-Peter (2008) Developmental changes of mechanics measured in the gerbil cochlea. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 9:22-32
He, David Z Z; Cheatham, Mary Ann; Pearce, Malini et al. (2004) Mouse outer hair cells lacking the alpha9 ACh receptor are motile. Brain Res Dev Brain Res 148:19-25
Emadi, Gulam; Richter, Claus-Peter; Dallos, Peter (2004) Stiffness of the gerbil basilar membrane: radial and longitudinal variations. J Neurophysiol 91:474-88
He, D Z; Zheng, J; Dallos, P (2001) Development of acetylcholine receptors in cultured outer hair cells. Hear Res 162:113-25
Keiler, S; Richter, C P (2001) Cochlear dimensions obtained in hemicochleae of four different strains of mice: CBA/CaJ, 129/CD1, 129/SvEv and C57BL/6J. Hear Res 162:91-104
Santos-Sacchi, J; Shen, W; Zheng, J et al. (2001) Effects of membrane potential and tension on prestin, the outer hair cell lateral membrane motor protein. J Physiol 531:661-6
Sziklai, I; Szonyi, M; Dallos, P (2001) Phosphorylation mediates the influence of acetylcholine upon outer hair cell electromotility. Acta Otolaryngol 121:153-6
He, D Z; Dallos, P (2000) Properties of voltage-dependent somatic stiffness of cochlear outer hair cells. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 1:64-81
Richter, C P; Edge, R; He, D Z et al. (2000) Development of the gerbil inner ear observed in the hemicochlea. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 1:195-210
Dallos, P; He, D Z (2000) Two models of outer hair cell stiffness and motility. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 1:283-91

Showing the most recent 10 out of 33 publications