The Helicotrema:. Measurements and Models

The helicotrema can have a significant impact on low-frequency auditory sensitivity due to its influence on cochlear input impedance. In spite of its importance in cochlear mechanics, the helicotrema is rarely modeled accurately in current computational models of the cochlea. To address this problem, we have reconstructed the 3-dimensional anatomy of the helicotrema for several species. The anatomical results were then incorporated into hydromechanical models and the effect of these anatomical variations on cochlear input impedance was calculated.