Fluid pressure distribution due to outer hair cell excitation in a 3-D dual chamber model of cochlea

• Published in: The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 1999-10, Vol.106 (4_Supplement), p.2204-2204
• Main Authors: Parthasarathi, Anand A, Grosh, Karl, Ren, Tianying, Nuttall, Alfred L
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0001-4966; 1520-8524
• DOI: 10.1121/1.427483

In this study, basilar membrane (BM) velocity and the total fluid pressure distributions arising from exciting only the outer hair cells (OHCs) at a particular location in the cochlea are modeled. The cochlea is modeled using standard idealizations such as rectangular cross-section and linear inviscid fluid satisfying Laplace’s equation. Two fluid chambers, one each above and below the cochlear partition (CP), are used. A simplified micromechanical model consisting of the BM, OHC, stereocilia, and tectorial membrane (TM) represents the CP. The formulation is solved using a hybrid finite element method. A localized excitation of the OHCs causes fluid pressure disturbances, which propagate toward the apex and stapes (emissions). Both steady state and transient responses, and also the influence of boundary conditions at the apex, round window, and the oval window will be presented. Emission results will be compared to electrically evoked otoacoustic emissions for gerbils to determine the ability of the model to predict these experimental results, such as propagation velocities. [Work supported by NIH NIDCD RO1 DC00141, RO1 DC00078, and RO1 DC04084-01.]