A 2-dimensional cochlear model offers several advantages over the usual 1-dimensional implementations. It allows to properly model the different modes of wave propagation through the cochlea. Furthermore, the number of filters per octave can be increased without increasing the delay along the cochlea, which is not possible with a 1dimensional model. Another practical advantage of the 2-D implem...

Precise frequency discrimination is a hallmark of auditory function in birds and mammals and is required for distinguishing similar sounding words, like 'bat,' 'cat' and 'hat.' In the cochlea, tuning and spectral separation result from longitudinal differences in basilar membrane stiffness and numerous individual gradations in sensory hair cell phenotypes, but it is unknown what patterns the ph...

introduction: after presbycusis, noise-induced hearing loss is the second most common cause of acquired hearing loss. numerous studies have shown that high-intensity noise exposure increases free radical species; therefore, use of antioxidants to detoxify the free radicals can prevent cellular damage in the cochlea. we studied the potential hearing protective effect of different doses of ascorb...

Nonlinear signal processing is an integral part of sensory transduction in the nervous system. Sensory inputs are analog, continuous-time signals with a large dynamic range, whereas central neurons encode information with limited dynamic range and temporal specificity, using fixed-width, fixed-height pulses. Sensory transduction uses nonlinear signal processing to reduce real-world input to a n...

By direct counts off scanning electron micrographs, we determined the number of stereocilia per hair cell of the chicken cochlea as a function of the position of the hair cell on the cochlea. Micrographs of thin cross sections of stereociliary bundles located at known positions on the cochlea were enlarged and the total number of actin filaments per stereocilium was counted and recorded. By com...

A CT study was performed on 8 foetuses aged between 20 and 38 weeks. In foetuses at the 20th week the semicircular canals, the spiral canal of the cochlea and the initial (labyrinthine) part of the facial canal are visible. At week 24 the tympanic part of the facial canal is observed. In the 31st week the cochlea is divided into 2 compartments, and in the 38th week the vestibular aqueduct and o...

Cochlear implants (CIs) are prosthetic devices that restore hearing in deaf individuals via electric stimulation of the auditory nerve through an electrode array inserted in the cochlea. The device consists of a microphone and an externally worn speech processor that converts acoustic signals into electric signals. The speech signal coded with electric pulses is then delivered via a wireless tr...

OBJECTIVE Minimally invasive image-guided cochlear implantation (CI) involves accessing the cochlea via a linear path from the lateral skull to the cochlea avoiding vital structures including the facial nerve. Herein, we describe and demonstrate the feasibility of the technique for pediatric patients. STUDY DESIGN Prospective. SETTING Children's Hospital. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Thirteen ped...

The adult human cochlea contains various types of peripheral glial cells that envelop or myelinate the three different domains of the spiral ganglion neurons: the central processes in the cochlear nerve, the cell bodies in the spiral ganglia, and the peripheral processes in the osseous spiral lamina. Little is known about the distribution, lineage separation and maturation of these peripheral g...

The ability to extract a pitch from complex harmonic sounds, such as human speech, animal vocalizations, and musical instruments, is a fundamental attribute of hearing. Some theories of pitch rely on the frequency-to-place mapping, or tonotopy, in the inner ear (cochlea), but most current models are based solely on the relative timing of spikes in the auditory nerve. So far, it has proved to be...