Hair cell regeneration in the avian cochlea.

Hair cell regeneration in the avian cochlea was first identified 10 years ago in studies of hair cell loss following noise damage and aminoglycoside treatment. Since then, numerous studies from several laboratories have examined a broad spectrum of the steps involved in the regeneration process. In this paper, we assess these studies and what they indicate about the events and regulatory mechanisms that control hair cell regeneration. Moreover, we examine how these studies have led to a reexamination of the possibility for hair cell regeneration in mammalian vestibular and cochlear sensory epithelia.