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Neurobiology

Auditory fidelity

Nature volume 444, pages 1013–1014 (2006)Cite this article

Detailed investigation of a molecule involved in an inherited type of deafness reveals a fresh facet to the mammalian auditory system — a hitherto unknown way for synapses to put calcium in a bind.

Mammals react to sounds with exquisite temporal fidelity, a feat that is initiated by precise calcium-dependent signalling in the hair cells of the inner ear. Calcium is a common signalling molecule in the nervous system and elsewhere. Writing in Cell, Roux et al.1 describe how they have identified an unexpected player in the auditory system. That player is a molecule called otoferlin, which has not previously been implicated as a calcium sensor for neurotransmitter release in nerve function.

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Figure 1: Sound reception and perception.

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  1. Auditory Research Laboratory, School of Medicine, and the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 382 West Street Road, Kennett Square, 19348, Pennsylvania, USA

    Thomas D. Parsons

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  1. Thomas D. Parsons
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Parsons, T. Auditory fidelity. Nature 444, 1013–1014 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/4441013a

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