Rat Inner Ear Structures and Micro-Dissection Techniques
GAO Kelei
LI Peng
JIANG Haiyan
DING Dalian
SUN Hong
Richard Salvi
Abstract：Rats are widely used in inner ear research. Harvest and examination of inner ear membranous labyrinth are critical steps in assessing morphology and pathology, as well as molecular biology, of inner ear sensory epithelia. Because of the exquisite structure of the inner ear in rats, micro-dissection of the membranous labyrinth has been one of the most difficult parts in related studies. To share our experiences, we thoroughly described structures of the rat inner ear, and briefly comment?ed on the differences from and similarities with other experimental animal species. We further discussed physiological func?tions of each structure in the inner ear. Based on these unique structures of the rat inner ear, we explained two different dissec?tion techniques, with emphases on some key steps.
Keywords：RatInner EarAnatomyMicro-dissectionCochleaVestibule
Publication Date：2015-01-01
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：7( 18-24 )