Low Optical Coherence Interferometry for the Cochlea

描述（由申请人提供）：本提案的主要目标是开发一种测量活体豚鼠Corti器官振动的仪器。该仪器将使用光学相干断层扫描（OCT）和低光学相干干涉测量法的原理来可视化基底膜和器官的内部结构，并分别测量由耳朵的声音刺激引起的振动位移。OCT干涉仪将利用来自耦合到公共光纤中的两个不同的超发光二极管的光，允许同时测量Corti器官的基底膜和网状板组件的振动位移。该提议的前两个目的是1）开发用于在器官中的单个位置处进行测量的双源（两个通道）OCT干涉仪，以及2）开发扫描OCT干涉仪以在三维中测量Corti器官运动。OCT干涉测量法将具有不需要将任何反射物体（诸如镜子或珠子）放置在耳组织上的优点，并且将具有高光学空间分辨率（特别是在沿着光轴的“z”方向上），从而允许精确测量Corti器官组织振动的幅度和相位。第三个目的是利用OCT仪器测量豚鼠基底膜和网状板的三维振动模式。这些数据将为Corti器官的微机械运动和耳蜗放大过程的机制提供关键的新见解，外毛细胞被认为是积极增强Corti器官运动的机制。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The major goal in this proposal is to develop an instrument to measure the vibration of the organ of Corti in the living guinea pig. The instrument will use the principles of optical coherence tomography (OCT) and low optical coherence interferometry to visualize the basilar membrane and the internal structures of the organ and to measure their vibratory displacements induced by sound stimulation of the ear, respectively. The OCT interferometer will utilize light from two different super luminescent diodes coupled into a common optical fiber, allowing simultaneous measurement of the vibratory displacement of the basilar membrane and the reticular lamina components of the organ of Corti. The first two aims of the proposal are 1) to develop a dual source (two channels) OCT interferometer for measurements at a single location in the organ and 2) to develop a scanning OCT interferometer to measure organ of Corti motion in three dimensions. OCT interferometry will have the advantage of not requiring any reflective objects (such as mirrors or beads) to be placed on the ear tissues and will have high optical spatial resolution (particularly in the 'z' direction along the optical axis) allowing accurate magnitude and phase measurements of organ of Corti tissue vibration. The third aim is to use the OCT instrument to measure the three-dimensional vibration pattern of the basilar membrane and reticular lamina in the guinea pig. The data will give critical new insight into the micro mechanical motion of the organ of Corti and on the mechanism of the cochlear amplification process whereby outer hair cells are thought to be actively enhancing organ of Corti motion.