Hair Cell Regeneration, Repair, and Protection

The sensory hair cells in the inner ear and vestibular system convertmechanical stimuli, sound and motion into neural activity that isresponsible for the sensations of hearing, motion and head position.In mammals, the loss of hair cells from acoustic overstimulation,ototoxic drugs and aging is irreversible, leading to a permanent lossof function. However, it is now clear that hair cells in othervertebrates are capable of regenerating and recovering partial orcomplete function. Moreover, partially damaged hair cells can undergoself-repair or be protected from traumatic insults by externalcompounds. This volume provides a comprehensive survey of what iscurrently known about the regeneration, repair and protection ofsensory hair cells and subsequent recovery of function in the auditoryand vestibular system. The aim is to provide graduate students,postdoctoral fellows, clinicians and scientists in related disciplineswith the biological bases of hair cells and with an understanding ofthe factors that contribute to their regeneration and repair.