Scanning and Transmission Electron Microscope Examination of Cochlea Hair and Pillar Cells from the Ear of the Mongolian Gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus)

Abstract

The rodent inner ear and especially from the Mongolian Gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) has received considerable attention in recent years for hearing research purposes, with models employed, for example, comprehension of age and noise related hearing loss, genetic disorders in auditory processing and the effects of ototoxic drugs. To aid both histological and physiological investigations, topographic details of the hair cells along the organ of Corti are imaged using the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) to reveal the overall length of the cochlea and to indicate the number of hair cells present. This information is of use in, for example, surgical planning for the implantation of electrodes and other interfaces and for pharmacological research purposes where the effects of certain drugs and other agents on the ear can be determined pathologically.