Aspects of cochlear lateral wall inflammation

The cochlear lateral wall is now recognized as playing an important role in the maintenance of cochlear homeostasis, but there are few descriptions of its role in cochlear inflammation. Our studies show that the inflamed cochlea accumulates the serum proteins albumin and fibrinogen as well as inflammatory cells in the spiral ligament (SL). At the same time, the SL fibrocytes in the inflamed cochlea show decreased staining for gap junction protein Connexin 26. These findings suggest that disruption of the SL fibrocytes is involved in the hearing disturbance caused by cochlear inflammation. In this context, we also discuss our future research plans involving SL fibrocyte culture.