Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, University of Kansas, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA.
Exp Neurol. 2010 Nov;226(1):1-5. doi: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2010.07.012. Epub 2010 Jul 21.
Cochlear implantation is a highly successful intervention for the treatment of deafness that depends on electrical stimulation of the inner ear's surviving spiral ganglion neurons. It is thought that some of the variability in hearing outcomes that is seen in patients receiving implants may be a reflection of the number or health of surviving neurons. A variety of studies have demonstrated a relationship between hair cell loss and degeneration of the spiral ganglion. This has been attributed to the loss of neurotrophin production with destruction of the spiral ganglion's target, the hair cell. Delivery of neurotrophins either through a device or through gene therapy has been shown to improve spiral ganglion survival after hair cell loss and additionally improves the function of cochlear implants in animal models. Translation of these observations to human therapy will require a clear understanding of the relationship between human spiral ganglion health and cochlear implant outcomes as well as the development of novel pre- and post-implantation outcomes measures.
人工耳蜗植入术是一种治疗耳聋的非常成功的干预手段,它依赖于对内耳幸存的螺旋神经节神经元的电刺激。人们认为,接受植入物的患者的听力结果存在一些可变性,这可能反映了幸存神经元的数量或健康状况。多项研究表明,毛细胞损失与螺旋神经节的退化之间存在关系。这归因于神经生长因子的产生随着螺旋神经节目标——毛细胞的破坏而丧失。通过设备或基因治疗递送神经营养因子已被证明可以改善毛细胞损失后螺旋神经节的存活,并进一步改善动物模型中人工耳蜗植入物的功能。要将这些观察结果转化为人类治疗,需要清楚地了解人类螺旋神经节健康状况与人工耳蜗植入物结果之间的关系,以及开发新的植入前和植入后结果测量方法。