The importance of phase data and model dimensionality to cochlear mechanics.

The vulnerability of the mammalian cochlear amplifier to surgical trauma hinders observations of its behaviour in vivo. This produces a greater need for realistic models to aid the interpretation of the experimental observations. The emphasis in most modelling studies has been to simulate the gain of the response of the basilar membrane.

Comparing in vitro, in situ, and in vivo experimental data in a three-dimensional model of mammalian cochlear mechanics.

Normal mammalian hearing is refined by amplification of the motion of the cochlear partition. This partition, comprising the organ of Corti sandwiched between the basilar and tectorial membranes, contains the outer hair cells that are thought to drive this amplification process. Force generation by outer hair cells has been studied extensively in vitro and in situ, but, to understand cochlear amplification fully, it is necessary to characterize the role played by each of the components of the cochlear partition in vivo.

Finite element micromechanical modeling of the cochlea in three dimensions.

A new cochlear modeling technique has been developed in which the number of assumptions required in model formulation is significantly less than in previous modeling studies. The main new feature of the method is that it allows individual cellular and membrane components of the organ of Corti to be embedded within the model fluid in their true structural positions, with connections to neighboring elements reflecting anatomical geometry. The cochlea is divided into a three-dimensional finite element (3-D FE) network of nodes, connected by branches representing the local mechanical properties.

Hair cell based amplification in the cochlea.

Recently, several reports have provided data about the way in which outer hair cells amplify sound within the cochlea. These include new measurements of hair cell forces in the cochlea and in isolated hair cells. In addition, theoretical advances that synthesize such experiments and show how hair cells might tune up the cochlear response sound promising.