The biological role of the medial olivocochlear efferents in hearing: separating evolved function from exaptation

Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience
David W Smith, A Keil

Abstract

Cochlear outer hair cells (OHCs) are remarkable, mechanically-active receptors that determine the exquisite sensitivity and frequency selectivity characteristic of the mammalian auditory system. While there are three to four times as many OHCs compared with inner hair cells, OHCs lack a significant afferent innervation and, instead, receive a rich efferent innervation from medial olivocochlear (MOC) efferent neurons. Activation of the MOC has been shown to exert a considerable suppressive effect over OHC activity. The precise function of these efferent tracts in auditory behavior, however, is the matter of considerable debate. The most frequent functions assigned to the MOC tracts are to protect the cochlea from traumatic damage associated with intense sound and to aid the detection of signals in noise. While considerable evidence shows that interruption of MOC activity exacerbates damage due to high-level sound exposure, the well characterized MOC physiology and evolutionary studies do not support such a role. Instead, a MOC protective effect is well explained as being a byproduct of the suppressive nature of MOC action on OHC mechanical behavior. A role in the enhancement of signals in noise backgrounds, on the other hand, is...Continue Reading

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Citations

Jul 29, 2016·Clinical and Experimental Otorhinolaryngology·So Young ParkShi Nae Park
Jan 25, 2017·The Journal of Comparative Neurology·Jonathan T Perelmuter, Paul M Forlano
Apr 11, 2018·Frontiers in Neurology·Enrique A Lopez-Poveda
Jun 18, 2019·Current Biology : CB·Jonathan T PerelmuterPaul M Forlano
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Apr 4, 2021·FASEB Journal : Official Publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology·Kazuya OhataShoichi Shimada
Oct 21, 2021·PLoS Biology·Heivet Hernández-PérezCatherine M McMahon

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