Cochlear partition anatomy and motion in humans differ from the classic view of mammals

Mammals detect sound through mechanosensitive cells of the cochlear organ of Corti that rest on the basilar membrane (BM). Motions of the BM and organ of Corti have been studied at the cochlear base in various laboratory animals, and the assumption has been that the cochleas of all mammals work similarly. In the classic view, the BM attaches to a stationary osseous spiral lamina (OSL), the tectorial membrane (TM) attaches to the limbus above the stationary OSL, and the BM is the major moving element, with a peak displacement near its center. Here, we measured the motion and studied the anatomy of the human cochlear partition (CP) at the cochlear base of fresh human cadaveric specimens. Unlike the classic view, we identified a soft-tissue structure between the BM and OSL in humans, which we name the CP “bridge.” We measured CP transverse motion in humans and found that the OSL moved like a plate hinged near the modiolus, with motion increasing from the modiolus to the bridge. The bridge moved almost as much as the BM, with the maximum CP motion near the bridge–BM connection. BM motion accounts for 100% of CP volume displacement in the classic view, but accounts for only 27 to 43% in the base of humans. In humans, the TM–limbus attachment is above the moving bridge, not above a fixed structure. These results challenge long-held assumptions about cochlear mechanics in humans. In addition, animal apical anatomy (in SI Appendix) doesn’t always fit the classic view.