Cochlear wave dispersion reveals partition micromechanics

Adding organ of Corti partition components in a 3D tapered cochlear box model increases stiffness and the optimal frequency, while wave dispersion stays unchanged relative to that optimal frequency.

• Why it matters: Partition micromechanics are hard to include without losing cochlear frequency selectivity and macroscopic response behavior, limiting how well reduced models can represent real wave propagation.
• What they did: The study incrementally built the partition from a flexible plate to include the tectorial membrane and inner spiral sulcus, then predicted dispersion for each case with a reduced-length slice model and eigenfrequency analysis using Floquet boundary conditions.
• The result: Floquet-based eigenfrequency analysis accurately predicted dispersion across variations and identified additional propagating waves, including a tectorial membrane transverse mode, supporting micromechanical investigations in reduced-length models.

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