Cochlear Wiring
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In the cochlea, SGNs extend tonotopically ordered, radial processes that form specialized synaptic connections with hair cells. Processes are organized within radial bundles and along the base of the hair cell according to subtype. We are investigating how this wiring pattern forms, from the initial extension of peripheral processes to the proper positioning of their terminals on the hair cell. Currently, we are examining the contributions of neuron-glia interactions during early cochlear wiring and the molecular mechanisms that govern afferent-efferent interactions, both in radial bundles and in the organ of Corti. We use time lapse imaging of cochlear explants to visualize and manipulate outgrowth behavior, genetic labeling to reconstruct individual developing processes, as well as viral and genetic approaches to interfere with cell-cell interactions. |
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