ABSTRACT
From my perspective, based on mechanical measurements, electrophysiological experiments, physical models, and mathematical analysis, the main difference in the mechanics between a mammalian cochlea postmortem and in vivo resides in the dynamics of the OHC stereocilia-tectorial membrane complex. Whereas, in the former, the tectorial membrane is nearly immobilized by viscous forces consistent with the high damping found by Békésy and brought forth analytically in chapter 4, in the latter, it must be able to oscillate radially with a sizable amplitude, as dictated by its great flexibility and appreciable mass both introduced in the preceding chapter. Such oscillation is consistent throughout with experimental results obtained by myself and my coworkers, as well as by several other scientists, and has been demonstrated by direct optical measurements of Gummer, Hemmert, and Zenner (1996). It accounts for some observed phenomena that otherwise appear paradoxical. The oscillation is discussed extensively in this chapter.
