Karlsson K K, Ulfendahl M, Khanna S M, Flock A
Department of Audiology, Huddinge University Hospital, Sweden.
Hear Res. 1991 May;53(1):95-100. doi: 10.1016/0378-5955(91)90216-v.
Quinine is known to induce a reversible hearing loss and to evoke motile responses of isolated outer hair cells. To study the effect of quinine, mechanical tuning curves of the Hensen's cells were measured in the isolated cochlea preparation in response to acoustical stimuli applied to the ear before and after application of the drug. It was shown that 0.5-4 mM quinine increased the vibration amplitude at the peak of the mechanical resonance curves and increased the sharpness of tuning. The time course of the event depended on whether the scala media was opened or not. The results show that quinine alters the micromechanical tuning of the organ of Corti.
