Spiral ganglion cells are essential for hearing and their
irreversible degeneration in the inner ear is common in most types of hearing
loss. Adult spiral ganglion cells are not able to regenerate. However, new
evidence in a mouse model shows that spiral ganglion stem cells present in the
inner ear are capable of self-renewal and can be grown and induced to
differentiate into mature spiral ganglion cells as well as neurons and glial
cells, as described in an article in BioResearch Open Access, a peer-reviewed
journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free
on the BioResearch Open Access website.