PHARMACOLOGY OF ISOLATED OUTER HAIR CELLS

这项研究的长期目标是阐明 耳蜗分析声音。 其他人已经证明， 在体外分离的细胞改变它们的纵向长度， 化学或电刺激。 这些和其他数据表明， 外毛细胞在高敏感性转导过程中起作用 耳蜗对声音的反应，这已经包括在几个 模型 我们的目标是确定化学物质如神经递质， 调节剂和耳蜗中存在的其他化学物质与细胞相互作用 外毛细胞并改变它们在转导过程中的作用。 的 有待检验的假设是，化学品提出作为传出 神经递质和神经调质以及耳蜗中的其他化学物质 与外毛细胞上的受体反应，产生一种或多种 外毛细胞的以下变化：1）长度，和/或2）离子 通道活性，和/或3）鸟嘌呤核苷酸结合（G）蛋白 活动 我们将检查通过测试发现的任何变化的机制 拮抗剂除了监测化学品对离子 通道的活动在分离的毛细胞。 这些信息应该有助于 研究人员和医生在确定疾病状态， 涉及故障的外毛细胞在处理发现和 药物干预治疗的建议。

The long-term objective of this research is to shed light on how the cochlea analyzes sound. Others have demonstrated that single outer hair cells isolated in vitro change their longitudinal lengths in response to chemical or electrical stimuli. These and other data suggest that the outer hair cells play a role in the high sensitivity transduction process of the cochlea in response to sound and this has been included in several models. Our goal is to determine how chemicals such as neurotransmitters, modulators, and other chemicals present in the cochlea interact with the outer hair cells and alter their role in the transduction process. The hypothesis to be tested is that chemicals proposed as efferent neurotransmitters and neuromodulators and other chemicals in the cochlea react with receptors on the outer hair cells to produce one or more of the following changes in the outer hair cells: 1) length, and/or 2) ion channel activity, and/or 3) guanine nucleotide binding (G) protein activity. We will examine the mechanisms of any changes found by testing antagonists in addition to monitoring the effects of the chemicals on ion channel activity in the isolated hair cells. This information should aid researchers and physicians in identifying disease states which might involve malfunction of the outer hair cells in the processing of found and in proposing drug intervention therapy.