Reconsidering the tectorial membrane: A morphological study

Tectorial membrane morphological variation: effects upon stimulus frequency otoacoustic emissions.

The tectorial membrane (TM) is widely believed to play an important role in determining the ear's ability to detect and resolve incoming acoustic information. While it is still unclear precisely what that role is, the TM has been hypothesized to help overcome viscous forces and thereby sharpen mechanical tuning of the sensory cells. Lizards present a unique opportunity to further study the role...

The tectorial membrane of the rat.

Electrokinetic properties of the mammalian tectorial membrane.

The tectorial membrane (TM) clearly plays a mechanical role in stimulating cochlear sensory receptors, but the presence of fixed charge in TM constituents suggests that electromechanical properties also may be important. Here, we measure the fixed charge density of the TM and show that this density of fixed charge is sufficient to affect mechanical properties and to generate electrokinetic moti...

Frequency - Dependent Shear Properties of the Tectorial Membrane

The vertebrate sense of hearing relies on a series of mechanical processes that deflect the sensory bundles of hair cells in the cochlea. Overlying these bundles is an acellular gel called the tectorial membrane (TM), which is believed to play a critical mechanical role in cochlear function. A variety of recent studies have shown that genetic changes to proteins found in the TM, such as α-tecto...

Longitudinally propagating traveling waves of the mammalian tectorial membrane.

Sound-evoked vibrations transmitted into the mammalian cochlea produce traveling waves that provide the mechanical tuning necessary for spectral decomposition of sound. These traveling waves of motion that have been observed to propagate longitudinally along the basilar membrane (BM) ultimately stimulate the mechano-sensory receptors. The tectorial membrane (TM) plays a key role in this process...