ヒト半規管膨大部稜の感覚細胞分布

抄録

The aim of the present study is to investigate more piecisely the distribution of the sensory cells, the over-all cytoarchitecture and sensory cell populations of the cristae.The inner ears from 35 individuals whose age ranged from newborn to 90 years old were obtained within 10 hours post-mortem.Their medical records showed no evidence of auditory or vestibular disorders or therapy with ototoxic drugs.
Using a silver staining method, surface preparations of the vestibular sense organs were studied by light-microscopy.Graphic reconstructions were made for the whole area of the crista and the macula.The sensory cells with large free surface predominantly occupied the central region of the crista and the striola of the macula.The sensory cells in the peripheral region of the crista and in the extra-striolar region of the macula showed smaller free surfaces and they varied less in size.The free surfaces of the supporting cells, however, no size differences.The sensory cells were more in number in the peripheral regions of the cristae and in the extra-stri-olar regions of the maculae.In the cristae, almost 6800 sensory cells were observed in a 0.9 square mm area.In the saccular macula, about 16, 000 sensory cells were discovered in a 2.2 square mm area and almost 30, 000 sensory cells were found in a 3.5 square mm area in the utricular macula.