Structure and function of the elastic fiber of the frog tympanic membrane: a multi-scale study

The ear is a complex biomechanical system dedicated to sound perception, even though part of the auditory function is in the central nervous system. The coupling between the two middle ear cavities has an effect on the directivity of the eardrum, which acts as a pressure difference sensor. We aim at identifying and quantifying in detail the tympanum structures related to sound perception. This includes the cartilaginous link between the tympanic membrane, the tympanic ring and stapes, the layer of membrane, and the collagen fiber distribution and muscular cells. We will use propagation based nano holotomography as a basis for the construction of a high-resolution three-dimensional dataset. Such 3D models and comparisons between data obtained for 10 samples of species varying in their frequency response should enable the understanding of the biomechanical basis of hearing very high frequency sounds.

耳朵是一套专司声音感知的复杂生物力学系统，尽管部分听觉功能由中枢神经系统介导。双侧中耳腔之间的耦合作用会影响作为压差传感器的鼓膜的指向性。本研究旨在细致识别并量化与声音感知相关的鼓膜（tympanum）结构，具体涵盖鼓膜、鼓环与镫骨之间的软骨连接、膜层结构，以及胶原纤维的分布特征与肌细胞。本研究将采用基于传播式纳米全息层析成像（nano holotomography）技术，构建高分辨率三维数据集。通过此类三维模型，结合对10个具备不同频率响应特性的物种样本所获数据的对比分析，本研究有望阐明极高频声音听觉的生物力学机制基础。