The auditory system is both complex and easily damaged; one in five adults experiences some degree of hearing loss due to age, noise, genetics, or certain therapeutic drugs. The mammalian auditory system consists of the outer, middle, and inner ear. Within the inner ear lies the cochlea, one of the most complex parts of the auditory system. The cochlea transduces sound waves into nerve impulses via sensory hair cells. These cells are highly complex, making it difficult to study them using conventional cell culture techniques. As a result, a number of different model systems have been developed to study hearing and hearing loss.
Model systems are used throughout biology to better understand the development and function of biological phenomena. They are especially useful when the systems being studied are too complex for direct study. There are many models used in hearing research. These include classic in vivo systems (mice, rats, zebrafish), non-classical in vivo systems (locusts), and in vitro systems (organoids and organotypic cochlea tissue cultures). With such a wide variety of systems, it is important to consider the advantages and limitations of each, as well as their relevancy to human hearing.
Many of the non-mammalian models have substantially different ear anatomy to their mammalian counterparts; only mammals have a three-ossicle middle ear and coiled cochlea. Despite these differences, non-mammalian models have their own advantages. Fish and birds have a high regenerative capability when it comes to sensory hair cells, and many of the gene pathways involved are present in mammals. Zebrafish have also proved to be the model of choice when seeking a high throughput system for identifying otoprotective compounds. Even amongst mammalian models some animals provide advantages over others - guinea pigs have more similar hearing to humans than rats or mice, and have a highly accessible round window for testing cochlear therapies.
This research topic therefore wishes to build a collection of recent advancements in hearing research, appreciating and analysing the diversity of model systems used.
Both original research and review articles will be considered, with the scope including (but not limited to) the following:
- Advances in hearing research using a specific model system; in vivo, in vitro, or in silico
- Comparisons between model systems, assessing the merits and pitfalls of each
- Pathways to translation and application of findings in the model system to progress the knowledge of human hearing and/or therapies for deafness or tinnitus
Please Note: Descriptive studies (e.g. gene expression profiles, or transcript, protein, or metabolite levels under particular conditions or in a particular cell type) and studies consisting solely of bioinformatic investigation of publicly available genomic / transcriptomic data do not fall within the scope of the journal unless they are expanded and provide significant biological or mechanistic insight into the process being studied.
The auditory system is both complex and easily damaged; one in five adults experiences some degree of hearing loss due to age, noise, genetics, or certain therapeutic drugs. The mammalian auditory system consists of the outer, middle, and inner ear. Within the inner ear lies the cochlea, one of the most complex parts of the auditory system. The cochlea transduces sound waves into nerve impulses via sensory hair cells. These cells are highly complex, making it difficult to study them using conventional cell culture techniques. As a result, a number of different model systems have been developed to study hearing and hearing loss.
Model systems are used throughout biology to better understand the development and function of biological phenomena. They are especially useful when the systems being studied are too complex for direct study. There are many models used in hearing research. These include classic in vivo systems (mice, rats, zebrafish), non-classical in vivo systems (locusts), and in vitro systems (organoids and organotypic cochlea tissue cultures). With such a wide variety of systems, it is important to consider the advantages and limitations of each, as well as their relevancy to human hearing.
Many of the non-mammalian models have substantially different ear anatomy to their mammalian counterparts; only mammals have a three-ossicle middle ear and coiled cochlea. Despite these differences, non-mammalian models have their own advantages. Fish and birds have a high regenerative capability when it comes to sensory hair cells, and many of the gene pathways involved are present in mammals. Zebrafish have also proved to be the model of choice when seeking a high throughput system for identifying otoprotective compounds. Even amongst mammalian models some animals provide advantages over others - guinea pigs have more similar hearing to humans than rats or mice, and have a highly accessible round window for testing cochlear therapies.
This research topic therefore wishes to build a collection of recent advancements in hearing research, appreciating and analysing the diversity of model systems used.
Both original research and review articles will be considered, with the scope including (but not limited to) the following:
- Advances in hearing research using a specific model system; in vivo, in vitro, or in silico
- Comparisons between model systems, assessing the merits and pitfalls of each
- Pathways to translation and application of findings in the model system to progress the knowledge of human hearing and/or therapies for deafness or tinnitus
Please Note: Descriptive studies (e.g. gene expression profiles, or transcript, protein, or metabolite levels under particular conditions or in a particular cell type) and studies consisting solely of bioinformatic investigation of publicly available genomic / transcriptomic data do not fall within the scope of the journal unless they are expanded and provide significant biological or mechanistic insight into the process being studied.