New neurons discovered in the inner ear

Written by Sharon Salt, Editor

Credit: Taha A. Jan, M.D., and Mirko Scheibinger, Ph.D., Marine Biological Laboratory at Wood’s Hole, Biology of the Inner Ear Course

Scientists from the Karolinska Institutet (Stockholm, Sweden) have identified four types of neurons in the peripheral auditory system, three of which are new to science. The researchers believe that the analysis of these cells can lead to new therapies for various kinds of hearing disorders. Previous research has indicated that most of the ear’s nerve cells could be classified into two types: type 1 and type 2 neurons. Type 1 neurons are believed to transmit most of the auditory information. In the study, recently published in Nature Communications, the team revealed that type 1 neurons actually compromise three very different...

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