On the Double Innervation of the Sensory Epithelia of the Inner Ear

Abstract

There is good evidence of an afferent as well as an efferent innervation within the cochlea. In this paper, evidence is presented that there are two distinct, different, structural systems of nerve terminals within the cochlea as well as within the vestibular sensory epithelia. These nerve endings are spatially and structurally quite distinct and their functional properties are discussed. Of the two systems of nerve terminals one has postsynaptic and one presynaptic nature. Their possible functions as respectively afferent and efferent nerve endings are discussed.The problem of afferent and efferent innervation is today much discussed in neurophysiological literature and the reader is referred to the interesting papers by Kuffler and collaborators regarding this problem.