Postnatal structural development of mammalian Basilar Membrane provides anatomical basis for the maturation of tonotopic maps and frequency tuning

Abstract The basilar membrane (BM) of the mammalian cochlea constitutes a spiraling acellular ribbon that is intimately attached to the organ of Corti. Its graded stiffness, increasing from apex to the base of the cochlea provides the mechanical basis for sound frequency analysis. Despite its centra...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:
Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Tomomi Tani, Maki Koike-Tani, Mai Thi Tran, Michael Shribak, Snezana Levic
Formato: article
Lenguaje:EN
Publicado: Nature Portfolio 2021
Materias:
R
Q
Acceso en línea:https://doaj.org/article/ef41c7961d924d8b99350b393d916a92
Etiquetas: Agregar Etiqueta
Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!
Descripción
Sumario:Abstract The basilar membrane (BM) of the mammalian cochlea constitutes a spiraling acellular ribbon that is intimately attached to the organ of Corti. Its graded stiffness, increasing from apex to the base of the cochlea provides the mechanical basis for sound frequency analysis. Despite its central role in auditory signal transduction, virtually nothing is known about the BM’s structural development. Using polarized light microscopy, the present study characterized the architectural transformations of freshly dissected BM at time points during postnatal development and maturation. The results indicate that the BM structural elements increase progressively in size, becoming radially aligned and more tightly packed with maturation and reach the adult structural signature by postnatal day 20 (P20). The findings provide insight into structural details and developmental changes of the mammalian BM, suggesting that BM is a dynamic structure that changes throughout the life of an animal.