Electrophysiology of the cochlea.
With careful techniques it is possible to demonstrate three electric potential regions of the inner ear: an intracellular negative potential, a high positive potential in the endolymph that appears bounded at the scala media side of the tectorial membrane rather than at the reticular lamina, and the extracellular spaces, which contain a fluid at near zero potential. The tectorial membrane is also found to be at zero potential. Further research may yet uncover more details of the resting potential distribution as we become expert at placing microelectrodes and learn better ways of correlating potential with position. Surely the study of these resting potentials would contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms of fluctuant hearing loss because these first order potentials are intimately related to the state of health of the inner ear.
D000200:Action Potentials; D000818:Animals; D003051:Cochlea / Q000502:physiology*; D004594:Electrophysiology; D007761:Labyrinthine Fluids / Q000502:physiology; D009925:Organ of Corti / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology