Progress in cochlear physiology after Békésy.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review of historical and mechanistic progress in cochlear physiology
PubMed 22633944 · doi:10.1016/j.heares.2012.05.005
What was done
This narrative historical review summarizes 50 years of progress in cochlear physiology following Georg von Békésy's Nobel Prize. The authors evaluate advancements across several key areas: the origin of cochlear gross potentials (including the cochlear microphonic), stereocilia mechano-electrical transduction and amplification, outer hair cell somatic motility and prestin, cochlear micromechanics and amplification, tectorial membrane mechanics, otoacoustic emissions, olivocochlear efferents, cochlear fluids and standing currents, and pathologies including noise trauma and aging.
What was found
The abstract reports no quantitative metrics or numerical findings. It outlines the historical paradigm shift from passive cochlear mechanics to an active system driven by outer hair cell electromotility (via prestin), fine micromechanical coupling, and efferent regulation.
Why it matters
The paper synthesizes half a century of auditory physiology, mapping how molecular and cellular discoveries filled the major mechanistic gaps left by Békésy's classical work.
Limits
This is a narrative overview without systematic literature search protocols, quality grading of underlying studies, or quantitative data synthesis. The abstract presents only high-level topical summaries.
Cited by
- supports Georg von Békésy was the first to measure the endocochlear potential, a positive extracellular potential of approximately +100 millivolts in the inner ear, winning a Nobel Prize.