Waves on Reissner's Membrane: A Mechanism for the Propagation of Otoacoustic Emissions from the Cochlea
Sound is detected and converted into electrical signals within the ear. The cochlea not only acts as a passive detector of sound, however, but can also produce tones itself. These otoacoustic emissions are a striking manifestation of the cochlea's mechanical active process. A controversy remain...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2012-04-01
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| Series: | Cell Reports |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124712000708 |
| _version_ | 1818583900856778752 |
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| author | Tobias Reichenbach Aleksandra Stefanovic Fumiaki Nin A.J. Hudspeth |
| author_facet | Tobias Reichenbach Aleksandra Stefanovic Fumiaki Nin A.J. Hudspeth |
| author_sort | Tobias Reichenbach |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Sound is detected and converted into electrical signals within the ear. The cochlea not only acts as a passive detector of sound, however, but can also produce tones itself. These otoacoustic emissions are a striking manifestation of the cochlea's mechanical active process. A controversy remains of how these mechanical signals propagate back to the middle ear, from which they are emitted as sound. Here, we combine theoretical and experimental studies to show that mechanical signals can be transmitted by waves on Reissner's membrane, an elastic structure within the cochlea. We develop a theory for wave propagation on Reissner's membrane and its role in otoacoustic emissions. Employing a scanning laser interferometer, we measure traveling waves on Reissner's membrane in the gerbil, guinea pig, and chinchilla. The results are in accord with the theory and thus support a role for Reissner's membrane in otoacoustic emissions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T08:12:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f8749a624d824c6289e4132537ff0006 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2211-1247 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-16T08:12:38Z |
| publishDate | 2012-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cell Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-f8749a624d824c6289e4132537ff00062022-12-21T22:38:19ZengElsevierCell Reports2211-12472012-04-011437438410.1016/j.celrep.2012.02.013Waves on Reissner's Membrane: A Mechanism for the Propagation of Otoacoustic Emissions from the CochleaTobias Reichenbach0Aleksandra Stefanovic1Fumiaki Nin2A.J. Hudspeth3Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Laboratory of Sensory Neuroscience, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065-6399, USAHoward Hughes Medical Institute and Laboratory of Sensory Neuroscience, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065-6399, USAHoward Hughes Medical Institute and Laboratory of Sensory Neuroscience, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065-6399, USAHoward Hughes Medical Institute and Laboratory of Sensory Neuroscience, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065-6399, USASound is detected and converted into electrical signals within the ear. The cochlea not only acts as a passive detector of sound, however, but can also produce tones itself. These otoacoustic emissions are a striking manifestation of the cochlea's mechanical active process. A controversy remains of how these mechanical signals propagate back to the middle ear, from which they are emitted as sound. Here, we combine theoretical and experimental studies to show that mechanical signals can be transmitted by waves on Reissner's membrane, an elastic structure within the cochlea. We develop a theory for wave propagation on Reissner's membrane and its role in otoacoustic emissions. Employing a scanning laser interferometer, we measure traveling waves on Reissner's membrane in the gerbil, guinea pig, and chinchilla. The results are in accord with the theory and thus support a role for Reissner's membrane in otoacoustic emissions.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124712000708 |
| spellingShingle | Tobias Reichenbach Aleksandra Stefanovic Fumiaki Nin A.J. Hudspeth Waves on Reissner's Membrane: A Mechanism for the Propagation of Otoacoustic Emissions from the Cochlea Cell Reports |
| title | Waves on Reissner's Membrane: A Mechanism for the Propagation of Otoacoustic Emissions from the Cochlea |
| title_full | Waves on Reissner's Membrane: A Mechanism for the Propagation of Otoacoustic Emissions from the Cochlea |
| title_fullStr | Waves on Reissner's Membrane: A Mechanism for the Propagation of Otoacoustic Emissions from the Cochlea |
| title_full_unstemmed | Waves on Reissner's Membrane: A Mechanism for the Propagation of Otoacoustic Emissions from the Cochlea |
| title_short | Waves on Reissner's Membrane: A Mechanism for the Propagation of Otoacoustic Emissions from the Cochlea |
| title_sort | waves on reissner s membrane a mechanism for the propagation of otoacoustic emissions from the cochlea |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124712000708 |
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