CORE--OTOPATHOLOGY AND HISTOLOGY

耳病理学/组织学核心的目的是为项目0001、0002和0003中常见的组织学方法提供专业知识、协调和统一的评估和实验方法。第一个目标是确定项目0001,0002和0003的耳病理学（组织学变化），以补充听觉生理学核心中进行的听力功能评估。这将通过表面准备来完成，作为内耳毛细胞和外耳毛细胞（在所有三排）沿耳蜗螺旋位置的存在或缺失的定量评估。数据被看作是一个图表（细胞耳蜗图），也提供了在每个耳蜗的每个位置（观测点）的百分比。此外，塑料模旁切片可用于评估耳蜗内所有细胞成分的耳病理和年龄相关变化，包括Corti器官、听神经/螺旋神经节细胞及其周围突、血管纹和侧壁。评估是定量的（螺旋神经节细胞数量、纹状体宽度/厚度）和定性的病理改变描述。第二个目的是确定基因表达和蛋白质的细胞定位。免疫细胞化学将用于蛋白质定位，原位杂交将用于定位特定耳蜗细胞类型的基因表达。免疫细胞化学是在整个耳蜗的副diolar cryostat切片上进行的，允许对所有主要细胞成分进行免疫染色。表面制备的免疫细胞化学用于提供Corti器官中免疫定位细节的额外“三维”分辨率。原位杂交用于定位基因表达到特定的耳蜗细胞类型，在整个耳蜗的副双极性低温切片上进行。数据将报告给数据管理部门，并与所有调查人员进行评估和讨论。

The purpose of the Otopathology/Histology Core is to provide expertise as well as coordinated and uniform assessments and experimental approaches for the histological methods common to Projects 0001, 0002 & 0003. The first aim is to determine the otopathology (histological changes) for Projects 0001, 0002 & 0003 to complement the functional assessments of hearing carried out in the Auditory Physiology Core. This will b accomplished with surface Preparations as a quantitative assessment of presence or absence of inner hair cells and outer hair cells (in all three rows) by position along the cochlear spiral. Data is viewed as a graph (cytocochleogram) and also provided as a percentage present at every location (observation point) in every cochlea. Furthermore, plastic para-modiolar sections are used for assessment of otopathology and age related changes for all cellular elements in the cochlea, including organ of Corti, auditory nerve/spiral ganglion cells and their peripheral processes, stria vascularis and lateral wall. Assessments are quantitative (Spiral ganglion cell numbers, strial width/thickness) and qualitative descriptions of pathological changes. The second aim is to determine the cellular localization of gene expression and proteins. Immunocytochemistry will be used for protein localization and in situ hybridization will be used to localize gene expression to specific cochlear cell types. Immunocytochemistry is performed on paramodiolar cryostat sections of the whole cochlea that allow immunostaining of all major cellular elements. Immunocytochemistry on surface preparations is used to provide additional "three dimensional" resolution of immunolocalization details in the organ of Corti. In situ hybridization is used to localize gene expression to specific cochlear cell types, performed on paramodiolar cryostat sections of the whole cochlea. Data will be reported to the Data Management and evaluated and discussed with all investigators.