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Tectorial membrane travelling waves underlie abnormal hearing in Tectb mutant mice

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  • Roozbeh Ghaffari

    (Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology Program
    assachusetts
    Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    assachusetts)

  • Alexander J. Aranyosi

    (Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    assachusetts
    Present address: BioMEMS Resource Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02129, USA.)

  • Guy P. Richardson

    (School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex)

  • Dennis M. Freeman

    (Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology Program
    assachusetts
    Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    assachusetts)

Abstract

Remarkable sensitivity and exquisite frequency selectivity are hallmarks of mammalian hearing, but their underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Cochlear insults and hearing disorders that decrease sensitivity also tend to broaden tuning, suggesting that these properties are linked. However, a recently developed mouse model of genetically altered hearing (Tectb−/−) shows decreased sensitivity and sharper frequency selectivity. In this paper, we show that the Tectb mutation reduces the spatial extent and propagation velocity of tectorial membrane (TM) travelling waves and that these changes in wave propagation are likely to account for all of the hearing abnormalities associated with the mutation. By reducing the spatial extent of TM waves, the Tectb mutation decreases the spread of excitation and thereby increases frequency selectivity. Furthermore, the change in TM wave velocity reduces the number of hair cells that effectively couple energy to the basilar membrane, which reduces sensitivity. These results highlight the importance of TM waves in hearing.

Suggested Citation

  • Roozbeh Ghaffari & Alexander J. Aranyosi & Guy P. Richardson & Dennis M. Freeman, 2010. "Tectorial membrane travelling waves underlie abnormal hearing in Tectb mutant mice," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 1(1), pages 1-6, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:1:y:2010:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms1094
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms1094
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    Cited by:

    1. Arun Palghat Udayashankar & Manfred Kössl & Manuela Nowotny, 2012. "Tonotopically Arranged Traveling Waves in the Miniature Hearing Organ of Bushcrickets," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(2), pages 1-8, February.

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