Theory of Fluid Mechanical Stimulation of Hair Cells
{'Code': '08090200', 'Directorate': {'LongName': 'Direct For Biological Sciences'}, 'Division': {'LongName': 'Division Of Integrative Organismal Systems'}}
{'SignBlockName': 'Christopher Platt'}
This theoretical modelling study is on the fluid mechanics                 which govern the motion of sensory receptor elements in the inner                                                                                               ear.  The inner ear has auditory organs for hearing, and                        vestibular organs for postural equilibrium.  All the receptor                   cells of the ear (and of the lateral-line organs of aquatic                     vertebrates) are hair cells, named for their microscopically                    small bundles of hairlike structures called cilia that extend                   into the fluid of the ear.  In hearing, when sound enters the                   ear, mechanical linkages convert the sound pressure to                          displacement of fluids and membranes in chambers of the inner                   ear.  Interaction of the fluid with the ciliary tufts involves                  mechanical forces that are important to understand at the                       microscopic level, to relate these forces and displacements to                  the activation of the sensory receptor cells.                                        These theoretical studies will assess how motion of the hair                                                                                               bundles is affected by 1) fluids of the inner ear; 2) hydro-                    dynamic coupling to nearby structures such as membranes; 3)                     hydrodynamic interactions between neighboring hair bundles; 4)                  the shape of the hair bundles; and 5) mechanical properties of                  hair bundles and the nearby membranes.  The proposed theoretical                                                                                                studies will involve both mathematical analysis and numerical                                                                                                   studies using a variety of digital computers (including personal                                                                                                computers, minicomputers, and supercomputers).  The approach is                                                                                                 to examine solutions of the euqations of fluid motion for a                                                                                                     succession of geometries, each designed to reveal the role of a                                                                                                 key structural feature of hair cell organs.  The goal is to                                                                                                     understand the motions of hair bundles in terms of the underlying                                                                                               physical mechanisms, and so understand the role of mechanics in                                                                                                 the sensory reception necessary for hearing and equilibrium.
[{'FirstName': 'Thomas', 'LastName': 'Weiss', 'EmailAddress': 'weiss@cbgrle.mit.edu', 'StartDate': '01/01/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}, {'FirstName': 'Dennis', 'LastName': 'Freeman', 'EmailAddress': None, 'StartDate': '01/01/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Co-Principal Investigator'}]
{'Name': 'Massachusetts Institute of Technology', 'CityName': 'Cambridge', 'ZipCode': '021394301', 'PhoneNumber': '6172531000', 'StreetAddress': '77 MASSACHUSETTS AVE', 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'Massachusetts', 'StateCode': 'MA'}
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