Permanent hearing loss affects more than 5% of the world's population, yet there are no
nondevice therapies that can protect or restore hearing. Delivery of therapeutics to the …

The blood-labyrinth barrier (BLB) in the stria vascularis is a highly specialized capillary
network that controls exchanges between blood and the intrastitial space in the cochlea. The …

The mechanisms by which astrocytes modulate neural homeostasis, synaptic plasticity, and
memory are still poorly explored. Astrocytes form large intercellular networks by gap junction …

Astrocytes play active roles in brain physiology by dynamic interactions with neurons.
Connexin 30, one of the two main astroglial gap-junction subunits, is thought to be involved …

The environment of the inner ear is highly regulated in a manner that some solutes are
permitted to enter while others are excluded or transported out. Drug therapies targeting the …

The microenvironment of the cochlea is maintained by the barrier between the systemic
circulation and the fluids inside the stria vascularis. However, the mechanisms that control …

Normal blood supply to the cochlea is critically important for establishing the endocochlear
potential and sustaining production of endolymph. Abnormal cochlear microcirculation has …

Astrocytes, the most prominent glial cell type in the brain, send specialized processes
named endfeet, which enwrap blood vessels and express a large molecular repertoire …

Sensory transduction in the cochlea and vestibular labyrinth depends on fluid movements
that deflect the hair bundles of mechanosensitive hair cells. Mechanosensitive transducer …

Situated between the circulation and the brain, the blood–brain barrier (BBB) protects the
brain from circulating toxins while securing a specialized environment for neuro-glial …