Hearing relies on a mechanical system that detects nanoscale motion. This video explores how sound is detected and converted into a sequence of electric pulses called action potentials. You’ll see how sound information is encoded and a neural circuit for calculating sound location. Finally, you’ll explore the causes of hearing loss, a hearing test, and how our ears contain amplifiers that can emit sound.
This work is copyright © 2023 by Kerry Kim. All rights reserved. No part of this video can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without my written permission.
0:00 Introduction
0:57 Sensing nanometers
2:27 Action potentials
5:09 Sound localization
7:26 Hearing loss
9:16 Amplification
11:54 Cells are mechanical
3D coordinate files for proteins:
PDB ID: 6BNO (Actin)
Gurel, P.S., Kim, L.Y., Ruijgrok, P.V., Omabegho, T., Bryant, Z., Alushin, G.M. (2017) CryoEM structures reveal specialization at the myosin VIactin interface and a mechanism of force sensitivity. Elife 6 doi: 10.7554/eLife.31125
PDB ID: (Cadherin)
Narui, Y., Sotomayor, M. (2018) Tuning InnerEar TipLink Affinity Through Alternatively Spliced Variants of Protocadherin15. Biochemistry 57: 17021710 doi: 10.1021/acs.biochem.7b01075
PDB ID: 7LGU, 7LGW (Prestin)
Ge, J., Elferich, J., DehghaniGhahnaviyeh, S., Zhao, Z., Meadows, M., von Gersdorff, H., Tajkhorshid, E., Gouaux, E. (2021) Molecular mechanism of prestin electromotive signal amplification. Cell 184: 4669 doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.07.034
PDB ID: 1F88 (Rhodopsin)
Palczewski, K., Kumasaka, T., Hori, T., Behnke, C.A., Motoshima, H., Fox, B.A., Le Trong, I., Teller, D.C., Okata, T., Stenkamp, R.E., Yamamoto, M., Miyano, M. (2000) Crystal structure of bovine rhodopsin. doi: 10.2210/pdb1F88/pdb