Cochlear outer hair cell electromotility enhances organ of Corti motion on a cycle-by-cycle basis at high frequencies in vivo

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2025206118
• Publication Date: 2021-10-22T20:36:30Z
• Authors: James B. Dewey; Alessandro Altoè; Christopher A. Shera; Brian E. Applegate; John S. Oghalai
• Keywords: Male; 0303 health sciences; Molecular Motor Proteins; Movement; Models, Biological; Vibration; Mice, Mutant Strains; Cochlea; Electrophysiology; Hair Cells, Auditory, Outer; Mice; 03 medical and health sciences; Sound; Acoustic Stimulation; Hearing; Nonlinear Dynamics; Mice, Inbred CBA; Animals; Female; Organ of Corti; Tomography, Optical Coherence

Significance The remarkable high-frequency sensitivity of mammalian hearing depends on the amplification sound-evoked cochlear vibrations by outer hair cells. One way that cells are proposed to generate amplifying forces is through voltage-driven changes in cell length. However, it remains unclear whether this electromotility can work fast enough vivo provide at necessary frequencies. Here, we show sound elicits motions within living mouse cochlea fully consistent with electromotility. These large relative motion underlying partition, including high data therefore suggest indeed high-speed vivo.