Cetacean Inner Ear · Cetacean Inner Ear
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2017-06-01 → 2019-09-21
- EU contribution
- €185,076
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF-EF-ST
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Cetacean Inner Ear
The morphological study of cetacean cochlea, as well as the possible alterations associated to sound exposure, represent a key conservation issue to assess the effects of noise pollution on marine ecosystems. Noise pollution can affect cetaceans by causing lesions in their inner ear, which can be severe enough to induce the individual to strand and die. In cases of severe permanent hearing loss, supporting cells of the organ of Corti (hearing organ) replace apoptotic sensory cells forming a “scar”. Sensory cells (or hair cells) of the inner ear are responsible for transducing the mechanical sound wave into an electric signal allowing the transmission of the auditory information to the brain. Sensory cells are also in charge of enhancing auditory sensitivity and frequency selectivity. The objectives of this study consist in conducting a comparative morphological analysis of the ultrastructure of the cochlea from stranded cetaceans 1) to assess their species specific hearing sensitivities by creating cochlear frequency maps and 2) to investigate possible lesions as a consequence of sound exposure. Once the cochlear frequency map for a species is resolved, it will be possible to estimate the acoustic characteristics of a source that may have caused these lesions. In addition, this study 3) investigated the process of hair cell apoptosis and the subsequent ‘scar’ formation to be able to distinguish newly formed lesions from old ones. This is particularly interesting to be able to assess if a hearing impairment could have been related to the stranding. Toothed whales have the possibility to attenuate their hearing sensitivity when a loud sound is played after a warning sound. Our research also focused on 4) examining the potential elements that might play a role in this protective mechanism. This research filled some gaps on hearing in cetaceans, brings tools to the decision makers to better regulate marine activities and contributes with essential knowledge for assessing the effects of noise pollution on cetacean hearing.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
The morphological study of cetacean cochlea as well as the possible alterations associated to sound exposure, represent a key conservation issue to assess the effects of acoustic pollution on marine ecosystems. Noise pollution could affect cetaceans by causing lesions in their inner ear, which can be severe enough to be lethal. In cases of severe permanent hearing loss, supporting cells of the organ of Corti replace apoptotic hair cells that are responsible for transducing the signal and enhancing auditory sensitivity and frequency selectivity. The objectives of this study consist in conducting a comparative ultrastructure morphological analysis of the cochlea from stranded cetaceans to 1) to assess their species specific hearing sensitivities by creating cochlear frequency maps and 2) to investigate possible lesions as a consequence of sound overexposure. Once the cochlear frequency map for a species is resolved, it will be possible to estimate the acoustic characteristics of a source that may have caused these lesions. In addition, this study will 3) investigate the process of hair cell apoptosis and the subsequent ‘scar’ formation to be able to distinguish newly formed lesions from old ones. Toothed whales have remarkable hearing protective mechanisms to insulate them from noise. Our research will also focus on 4) examining the potential elements that might play a role in this protective mechanism. To achieve these four objectives, the applicant will fine tune the protocol of ear analysis using electron microscopy and applying immunohistochemistry techniques. The expertise of the Hearing team of the Institute for Neurosciences of Montpellier (Inserm Unit 1051, France), and its microscopy and imaging facilities will be invaluable for the accomplishment of our study. This research will bring tools to the decision makers to better regulate marine activities and will contribute with essential knowledge for assessing the effects of noise pollution cetacean hearing.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- INSTITUT NATIONAL DE LA SANTE ET DE LA RECHERCHE MEDICALE · ParisCoordinatorFrance
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union