Researchers at the Göttingen Campus have for the first time succeeded in examining the tiny synapses in the inner ear – the contact points between the sensory hair cells and the auditory nerve cells – at the molecular level. They were able to show that ion channels and other synaptic proteins, which are essential for hearing, are organized in specific patterns. This arrangement ensures optimized transmission of auditory information to the brain. These findings could contribute to the development of therapies for hearing disorders with a synaptic cause. The results have been published in the journal “Science Advances.”
