Incorporation of an active feedback loop into the 'squirting wave'

Elliott, S.J., Pierzycki, R. and Lineton, B. (2005) Incorporation of an active feedback loop into the 'squirting wave'. Proceedings of the 12th International Congress on Sound and Vibration (ICSV12), Lisbon, Portugal. 10 - 13 Jul 2005.

Record type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)

Abstract

HTML or similar not available MenuWelcA model of the cochlear amplifier has recently been proposed, which involves symmetric Lloyd-Redwood (SLR) or "squirting" waves being propagated between the tectorial membrane and the rectilinear laminate in the cochlea (Bell and Fletcher, JASA, 116, 1016?1024, 2004). The stiffness of the laminate combined with the inertia of the fluid between these structures leads to a highly dispersive wave, which appears to give rise to resonances in the correct range of frequencies. One problem with this model is that the waves are highly damped by fluid viscosity. In this paper a model is proposed in which the motile action of the outer hair cells is incorporated into the dynamics. This provides an active feedback loop that can enhance the response of the system and thus drive fluid towards the inner hair cells, improving the overall sensitivity of the system and acting as a cochlear amplifier.

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