Sensory hair cells are the specialized mechanosensory receptors found in vertebrate auditory, vestibular, and lateral line organs that transduce vibratory and acoustic stimuli into the sensations of hearing and balance. Hair cells can be damaged due to such factors as aging, ototoxic chemicals, acoustic trauma, infection, or genetic factors. Loss of these hair cells lead to deficits in hearing and balance, and in mammals, such deficits are permanent. In contrast, non-mammalian vertebrates exhibit the capability to regenerate missing hair cells. Researchers have been examining the process of hair cell death and regeneration in animal models in an attempt to find ways of either preventing hair cell loss or stimulating the production of new hair cells in mammals, with the ultimate goal of finding new therapeutics for human sensorineural hearing and balance deficits. This has led to a wide array of research on sensory hair cells- such as understanding the factors that cause hair cell loss and finding agents that protect them from damage, elucidating the cell signaling pathways activated during hair cell death, examining the genes and cellular pathways that are regulated during the process of hair cell death and regeneration, and characterizing the functional sensory loss and recovery following acoustic or ototoxic insults to the inner ear. This research has involved cell and developmental biologists, physiologists, geneticists, bioinformaticians, and otolaryngologists. In this Research Topic, we have collated reviews of the past progress of hair cell death and regeneration studies and original research articles advancing sensory hair cell death and regeneration research into the future.

The concept of this book, Renewal of Life!, was thought of as I traveled around and observed how life is renewed in so many forms. One is not only revived or renewed from an unconscious state, but as one will see from the variety of pictures, life in any form is being renewed. For example, I have seen a flower blooming from a limb of the tree that is obviously dormant, or in forest-ecology terms, a snag. That scene moved my thoughts even more about how awesome life is and that I must share my findings. Therefore, we must take time out of our busy, hectic lifestyle and find the renewals of our own lives, observing the many facets of this life. By so doing, our inner souls will become renewed about this precious life we have.

This volume represents the published proceedings of an international conference on the Neurobiology and Evolution of the Mechanosensory Lateral Line System held August 31 to September 4, 1987, at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research at the University of Bielefeld, West Germany. The goal of this confer ence was to bring together researchers from all over the world to share informa tion about a major aquatic sensory system, the evolution and function of which have largely remained an enigma since the 18th century. The "lateral line" or "lateralis" system has been used as an umbrella term to describe what originally (without the aid of modern anatomical techniques) looked like a series of pits, grooves, and lines on the head and trunk of fishes and some amphibians. For at least the past 30 years, however, it has been recognized that the lateralis system comprises not one, but at least two functional classes of receptors: mechanoreceptors and electroreceptors. The relative ease with which the appropriate stimulus could be defined and measured for the electroreceptive class has resulted in an explosion of information on this submodality during the past 20 years. As a result, there is little ambiguity about the overall function of the electrosensory system, now generally regarded as an independent system in its own right. A similarly clear definition for the function of the mechanosensory lateralis system has not been as forthcoming.

The brain is the most complex organ in our body. Indeed, it is perhaps the most complex structure we have ever encountered in nature. Both structurally and functionally, there are many peculiarities that differentiate the brain from all other organs. The brain is our connection to the world around us and by governing nervous system and higher function, any disturbance induces severe neurological and psychiatric disorders that can have a devastating effect on quality of life. Our understanding of the physiology and biochemistry of the brain has improved dramatically in the last two decades. In particular, the critical role of cations, including magnesium, has become evident, even if incompletely understood at a mechanistic level. The exact role and regulation of magnesium, in particular, remains elusive, largely because intracellular levels are so difficult to routinely quantify. Nonetheless, the importance of magnesium to normal central nervous system activity is self-evident given the complicated homeostatic mechanisms that maintain the concentration of this cation within strict limits essential for normal physiology and metabolism. There is also considerable accumulating evidence to suggest alterations to some brain functions in both normal and pathological conditions may be linked to alterations in local magnesium concentration. This book, containing chapters written by some of the foremost experts in the field of magnesium research, brings together the latest in experimental and clinical magnesium research as it relates to the central nervous system. It offers a complete and updated view of magnesiums involvement in central nervous system function and in so doing, brings together two main pillars of contemporary neuroscience research, namely providing an explanation for the molecular mechanisms involved in brain function, and emphasizing the connections between the molecular changes and behavior. It is the untiring efforts of those magnesium researchers who have dedicated their lives to unraveling the mysteries of magnesiums role in biological systems that has inspired the collation of this volume of work.

Hearing Science and Hearing Disorders focuses on the nature of the processes in the inner ear and the nervous system that mediate hearing. Organized into eight chapters, this book first discusses the nature of speech communication, the extent of hearing problems, and the pathophysiology of hearing. Four core chapters follow, in which four areas of central importance to understanding hearing disorders and their effects are covered. These areas are assessment of auditory function, the scope for technological solutions, the nature of audio-visual speech perception, and the effects of deafness upon speech production. This book will be valuable to students; to academic and professional workers concerned with hearing, speech, and their disorders; and to scientifically or medically literate people in general.

This book systematically discusses the pathogenesis, prevention, and the current and potential clinical treatment of hearing loss, as well as the latest advances in hearing research. Hearing loss is a prevalent sensory disorder, which according to a 2015 World Health Organization (WHO) report affected 9% of the global population in 2015. As populations continue to age, more and more people are suffering from the condition, with 60% of those aged between 65 and 75 affected. Hearing loss seriously affects patients’ ability to work ability and quality of life, and as such deafness has become an increasingly urgent social problem around the globe. Sensorineural hearing loss is mainly caused by damage to the hair cells (HCs), and the subsequent loss of spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs). Damage to the HCs in the inner ear can result from exposure to loud noises and environmental and chemical toxins as well as genetic disorders, aging, and certain medications. This book provides ENT specialists and researchers, as well as individuals affected a comprehensive introduction to the field of hearing loss.

This volume explores the latest techniques in inner ear development, analysis of its sensory cells, and characterization and manipulation of the central auditory and vestibular pathways. The chapters in this book cover topics such as dissection and imaging of the cochlea; behavioral evaluation of animal models of diseases like tinnitus; hair cell function and regeneration; and recent advances in sequencing technology. In the Neuromethods series style, chapters include the kind of detail and key advice from the specialists needed to get successful results in your laboratory. Cutting-edge and comprehensive, Developmental, Physiological, and Function Neurobiology of the Inner Ear is a valuable resource for scientists and researchers interested in learning more about this developing field.

The collection of systems represented in Sourcebook of genomic programs, although this work is certainly well Models for Biomedical Research is an effort to re?ect the represented and indexed. diversity and utility of models that are used in biomedicine. Some models have been omitted due to page limitations That utility is based on the consideration that observations and we have encouraged the authors to use tables and made in particular organisms will provide insight into the ? gures to make comparisons of models so that observations workings of other, more complex, systems. Even the cell not available in primary publications can become useful to cycle in the simple yeast cell has similarities to that in the reader. humans and regulation with similar proteins occurs. We thank Richard Lansing and the staff at Humana for Some models have the advantage that the reproductive, guidance through the publication process. mitotic, development or aging cycles are rapid compared As this book was entering production, we learned of the with those in humans; others are utilized because individual loss of Tom Lanigan, Sr. Tom was a leader and innovator proteins may be studied in an advantageous way and that in scienti?c publishing and a good friend and colleague to have human homologs. Other organisms are facile to grow all in the exploratory enterprise. We dedicate this book to in laboratory settings or lend themselves to convenient analy- his memory. We will miss him greatly.

An international group of leading investigators discuss recent progress of sensory structures in lower and higher vertebrates. Experts in two relevant fields--the cell cycle and mitogenic growth factors--present insightful contributions in the search for precursors and/or stem cells in each sense organ plus the signals which regulate those precursors' differentiation both in normal development and regeneration.