Stereocilia damage
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the most common causes of stereocilia damage are noise exposure and administration of ototoxic drugs
Scanning electron micrograph showing the normal organization of the organ of Corti. View is of the apical membrane of the single row of IHCs (top) and 3 rows of OHC (bottom). Notice the orderly arrangement of stereocilia. |
Disruption of IHC stereocilia and loss of OHC in the basal turn of the cochlea following noise exposure (90 dBA noise for 8 hours) 6 months earlier. This damage produced a profound hearing loss. |
Disruption of OHC stereocilia following administration of the aminoglycoside antibiotic kanamycin. Depending upon dose, drug administration can cause either a temporary or permanent threshold shift. |
