In some cases there may be too much fluid secreted by the stria vascularis.

The stria vascularis and spiral ligament are often normal.

The basal cells separate stria vascularis from the underlying spiral ligament.

The stria vascularis also contains pericyte, melanocyte, and endothelial cells.

It is also found in hair, the pigmented tissue underlying the iris of the eye, and the stria vascularis of the inner ear.

The underlying mechanism of ototoxicity may be impairment of ion transport in the stria vascularis.

Adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) from the stria vascularis provides energy for the conversion.

The lateral wall of the cochlear duct is formed by the spiral ligament and the stria vascularis, which produces the endolymph.

The main cation of this unique extracellular fluid is potassium, which is secreted from the stria vascularis.

The stria vascularis, in turn, uses adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, from its blood supply to produce the electric field.

The cochlear duct is bounded on three sides by the basilar membrane, the stria vascularis, and Reissner's membrane.

The upper portion of the spiral ligament contains numerous capillary loops and small blood vessels, and is termed the stria vascularis.

AK2 is specifically expressed in the stria vascularis of the inner ear which indicates why individuals with an AK2 deficiency will have sensorineural deafness.

Research by Salt et al. 1987 revealed that the EP was generated by the basal cells of Stria Vascularis.

Instead the absence of melanocytes in the stria vascularis of the inner ear results in cochlear impairment, though why this is, is not fully understood.

The suppression of pigment cells (melanocytes) in the iris and in the stria vascularis of the cochlea (inner ear) leads to blue eyes and deafness.

The ototoxicity of both the aminoglycosides and cisplatin may be related to their ability to bind to melanin in the stria vascularis of the inner ear or the generation of reactive oxygen species.

"Unlike muscle cells, these outer hair cells do not consume chemical fuel - adenosine triphosphate - but they lengthen and contract using energy from the electrical field produced by the neighboring stria vascularis," Dr. Brownell said.

One group believes that there is an active, electromechanical amplifying mechanism in the cochlea, similar in principle to electronic amplifiers, that is stimulated by an alternating electrical field produced by the stria vascularis, a tiny organ within the cochlea.

Dark cells are morphologically and functionally similar to marginal cells of the stria vascularis as they both display characteristics of fluid transport tissue; however, studies indicate an earlier histological and immunohistological maturity in the dark-cell areas compared to the stria vascularis.