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Anatomy of the Human Osseous Spiral Lamina and Cochlear Partition Bridge: Relevance for Cochlear Partition Motion

Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology volume 21, pages 171–182 (2020)Cite this article

Abstract

The classic view of cochlear partition (CP) motion, generalized to be for all mammals, was derived from basal-turn measurements in laboratory animals. Recently, we reported motion of the human CP in the cochlear base that differs substantially from the classic view. We described a human soft tissue “bridge” (non-existent in the classic view) between the osseous spiral lamina (OSL) and basilar membrane (BM), and showed how OSL and bridge move in response to sound. Here, we detail relevant human anatomy to better understand the relationship between form and function. The bridge and BM have similar widths that increase linearly from base to apex, whereas the OSL width decreases from base to apex, leading to an approximately constant total CP width throughout the cochlea. The bony three-dimensional OSL microstructure, reconstructed from unconventionally thin, 2-μm histological sections, revealed thin, radially wide OSL plates with pores that vary in size, extent, and distribution with cochlear location. Polarized light microscopy revealed collagen fibers in the BM that spread out medially through the bridge to connect to the OSL. The long width and porosity of the OSL may explain its considerable bending flexibility. The similarity of BM and bridge widths along the cochlea, both containing continuous collagen fibers, may make them a functional unit and allow maximum CP motion near the bridge-BM boundary, as recently described. These anatomical findings may help us better understand the motion of the structures surrounding the organ of Corti and how they shape the input to the cochlear sensory mechanism.

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Acknowledgments

We thank M. Charles Liberman, John J. Rosowski, Sunil Puria, and Dennis M. Freeman for discussion of the material. We thank Garyfallia Pagonis for help in Figs. 1, 2, and 5 and Haobing Wang for supporting us with the imaging system and software.

Funding

This study was supported by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders/National Institutes of Health Grant R01DC013303, fellowships from the German National Academic Foundation and the American Otological Society, and an Amelia-Peabody scholarship from Massachusetts Eye and Ear.

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Author notes

  1. Stefan Raufer

    Present address: Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Klinik für Hals-Nasen-Ohrenheilkunde, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany

Affiliations

  1. Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, MA, 02114, USA

    Stefan Raufer, Cornelia Idoff, Giacomo Marino, Jennifer T. O’Malley, Barbara J. Burgess, Joseph B. Nadol, John J. Guinan Jr &  Hideko H. Nakajima

  2. Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Stefan Raufer, John J. Guinan Jr &  Hideko H. Nakajima

  3. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, 58183, Linköping, Sweden

    Cornelia Idoff

  4. Hearing Research Center, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Aleksandrs Zosuls

  5. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Nathan Blanke & Irving J. Bigio

  6. Department of Otolaryngology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Jennifer T. O’Malley, Barbara J. Burgess, Joseph B. Nadol, John J. Guinan Jr &  Hideko H. Nakajima

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  1. Stefan Raufer
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Correspondence to Stefan Raufer.

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Raufer, S., Idoff, C., Zosuls, A. et al. Anatomy of the Human Osseous Spiral Lamina and Cochlear Partition Bridge: Relevance for Cochlear Partition Motion. JARO 21, 171–182 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10162-020-00748-1

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Keywords

  • cochlear mechanics
  • basilar membrane
  • cochlear anatomy
  • cochlear model
  • human cochlea