Recent findings that a high proportion of non-syndromic hereditary sensorineural hearing
loss is due to mutations in the gene for connexin 26 indicate the crucial role that the gene
product plays for normal functioning of the cochlea. Excluding sensory cells, most cells in the
cochlea are connected via gap junctions and these gap junctions appear to play critical
roles in cochlear ion homeostasis. Connexin 26 occurs in gap junctions connecting all cell
classes in the cochlea. There are two independent systems of cells, which are defined by …