MORPHOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF THE INNER EAR

内耳的形态和生理学

• 批准号: 3394829
• 负责人: EDWIN R LEWIS
• 金额: $ 13.83万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 1978
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1978-06-01 至 1991-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3394829
• 关键词: afferent nerve; auditory discrimination; auditory feedback; auditory stimulus; axon; ear hair cell; efferent nerve; electrophysiology; freeze etching; fresh water environment; mechanoreceptors; microelectrodes; microscopy; neural information processing; neural transmission; neuroanatomy; scanning electron microscopy; sound frequency; stimulus /response; synapses; vestibular apparatus

The principle objective of this project is to deduce the physical bases of signal processing in the inner ear, the understanding of which will be essential to rational attacks on inner-ear pathologies. The immediate goal of the research is identification of specific structure-function correspondences in the inner ear. Such correspondences are expected to be rich in implications regarding the physical mechanisms underlying vestibular and auditory signal processing. We study inner-ear microstructure with conventional light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy, and with low temperature scanning electron microscopy specially adapted to studies of fragile inner-ear structures. Functional parameters of individual nerve fibers are identified electrophysiologically, with dye-filled microelectrodes advanced into the eighth nerve after its emergence from the intact inner ear. After identification, the fiber is injected with dye and traced to its starting points in the ear. Thus, we obtain precise functional overlays for our microstructural maps. In addition, we observe microstructural parameters of the fiber itself. Our principal working hypothesis is the existence of functional consequences for the several conspicuous parameter variations known to occur in the microstructures of the nerve fibers and their associated sensory surfaces. Because of the functional and structural similarities between the inner ear of the bullfrog and that of mammals, and because of the extensive background information available on the frog's ear, we use the frog as our experimental model.

该项目的主要目标是推论物理基础 内耳的信号处理，对其的理解将是 对于对内耳病变进行理性攻击至关重要。 研究的直接目标是确定具体的 内耳结构与功能的对应关系。 这样的信件 预计会对物理机制产生丰富的影响 潜在的前庭和听觉信号处理。 我们研究内耳 传统光学显微镜、扫描电子显微镜的微观结构 显微镜、透射电子显微镜以及低温 扫描电子显微镜特别适用于脆性物质的研究 内耳结构。 单个神经纤维的功能参数是 电生理学鉴定，先进的染料填充微电极 从完整的内耳出现后进入第八神经。 后 识别，纤维被注入染料并追踪其起始位置 耳朵里的点。 因此，我们获得了精确的功能覆盖 微观结构图。 此外，我们观察微观结构参数 纤维本身。 我们的主要工作假设是存在 几个明显参数变化的功能后果 已知发生在神经纤维及其微观结构中 相关的感觉表面。 由于内耳之间的功能和结构相似 牛蛙和哺乳动物的，并且由于广泛 青蛙耳朵上有背景信息，我们用青蛙作为我们的 实验模型。