Teudt Ingo Ulrik, Richter Claus-Peter
Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, 303 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611-3008, USA.
J Neurosci Methods. 2007 May 15;162(1-2):187-97. doi: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2007.01.012. Epub 2007 Jan 21.
The hemicochlea and its slice preparation is a novel method that allows access to various cochlear structures without the physical distortion that typically occurs from tissue dehydration during the embedding process. Therefore, the hemicochlea preparation provides an excellent model to study (1) cochlear morphology during cochlear development, (2) malformation caused by genetic defects, (3) changes related to diseases, (4) sensory physiology, (5) cochlear micromechanics, and (6) the expression of proteins by immunohistochemistry. This paper describes in detail the method of slicing hemicochleae for different mammalian species, including mice, rats, gerbils, guinea pigs, pigs, and human temporal bones. Furthermore, guinea pig cochleae are used as an example to provide cochlear dimensions of important anatomical structures. The values obtained in eight guinea pig hemicochleae are compared to published values, and upon review, discrepancies do exist. For example, gelatinous structures, such as the tectorial membrane, appear larger in the hemicochlea when compared to traditional embedding. Dimensions obtained for selected cochlear structures at different locations along the guinea pig cochleae provide an improved basis for cochlear models.
半规管及其切片制备是一种新颖的方法，它能够在不产生通常在包埋过程中因组织脱水而出现的物理变形的情况下，观察到各种耳蜗结构。因此，半规管制备为研究以下内容提供了一个极佳的模型：（1）耳蜗发育过程中的耳蜗形态；（2）基因缺陷导致的畸形；（3）与疾病相关的变化；（4）感觉生理学；（5）耳蜗微力学；（6）通过免疫组织化学检测蛋白质的表达。本文详细描述了针对不同哺乳动物物种（包括小鼠、大鼠、沙鼠、豚鼠、猪和人类颞骨）制备半规管切片的方法。此外，以豚鼠耳蜗为例，提供了重要解剖结构的耳蜗尺寸。将八只豚鼠半规管获得的值与已发表的值进行比较，经审查发现确实存在差异。例如，与传统包埋相比，盖膜等凝胶状结构在半规管中显得更大。沿豚鼠耳蜗不同位置获取的选定耳蜗结构的尺寸为耳蜗模型提供了更好的基础。
