In Vitro Functional Assessment of Adult Spiral Ganglion Neurons (SGNs).
Spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) faithfully encode acoustic waves from hair cells to the cochlear nucleus (CN) using voltage-dependent ion channels. A sizable portion of our knowledge on SGN functions have been derived from pre-hearing neurons. In post-hearing SGNs, the mechanisms of how they encode the massive sound information without delay and precisely are largely unknown. Mature SGNs are housed in the central bony labyrinth of the cochlea, protected by a well-insulated myelin sheath, making it a technical feat to isolate viable neurons for rigorous functional electrophysiology. Recently, we have overcome the previous intractable hindrance in SGN functional analyses. We provide a step-by-step user-friendly protocol with practical applications, including patch-clamp recordings and imaging by using cultured SGNs.
Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Program in Communication and Sensory Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, 89557, USA.
Jeong Han
JH
Lee
Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Program in Communication and Sensory Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, 89557, USA.
Choongryoul
C
Sihn
Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Program in Communication and Sensory Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, 89557, USA.
Wanging
W
Wang
Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Program in Communication and Sensory Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, 89557, USA.
Cristina Maria Perez
CM
Flores
Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Program in Communication and Sensory Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, 89557, USA. enyamoah@gmail.com.|University of Nevada Reno, 6795 South Edmond Street, Third Floor, Las Vegas, NV, 89118, USA. enyamoah@gmail.com.
Ebenezer N
EN
Yamoah
D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003051:Cochlea / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D007473:Ion Channels; D051379:Mice; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D013136:Spiral Ganglion / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology
D007473:Ion Channels
Auditory system; Hair cells (HCs); Matured SGNs; Modiolus; Myelin sheath; Spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs); Unmyelinated