Analyses of physiological roles of cochlear endolymph and search for the diseases caused by endolymphatic dysfunction.

在这项研究中，我们重点研究了耳蜗内淋巴，一种对听力至关重要的独特的细胞外溶液。我们试图测量内淋巴的物理性质和成分。我们还计划阐明这种液体的特性及其与听力损失的关系的生理学意义。为此，我们试图用双管微电极纯采集内淋巴，但无法获得足量的内淋巴。耳蜗内的离子传输可以影响表现内淋巴物理性质的分子的结构和功能。因此，我们分析了整个耳蜗钾的转运，并通过实验方法论证了其潜在的机制。在这些结果的基础上，我们进一步发展了计算模型来模拟耳蜗钾转运和内淋巴的电化学性质。通过使用这个模型，我们从理论上证明了一种形式的耳聋是由绒毛膜局部离子转运的紊乱引起的。

In this study we focused on cochlear “endolymph”, an uniqueextracellular solution essential for hearing. We attempted to measure physical propertyand constituents of the endolymph. We also planned to elucidate physiologicalsignificance of the feature of this fluid and its involvement in hearing loss. For thesepurposes, we tried to purely harvest the endolymph with double-barreled microelectrode,but we could not obtain sufficient amount of the fluid. Ion-transport in the cochleacould affect structure and function of the molecules exhibiting physical property of theendolymph. We therefore analyzed K+-transport throughout the cochlear and demonstratedthe underlying mechanism by experimental approaches. On the basis of these results, wefurther developed computational model to simulate cochlear K+-transport and theelectrochemical property of the endolymph. By using this model, we theoretically showedthat one form of deafness would be caused by disorder of local ion-transport in thecochlea.