Developmental Neurobiology of the Ear: Current Status and Future Directions -- The Induction of the Otic Placode -- Morphogenesis of the Inner Ear -- Wiring the Ear to the Brain: The Molecular Basis of Neurosensory Development, Differentiation, and Survival -- Notch Signaling and Cell Fate Determination in the Vertebrate Inner Ear -- The Differentiation of Hair Cells -- Developmental Genes Associated with Human Hearing Loss. This book describes the embryonic development of the vertebrate inner ear in six chapters that span all aspects of inner ear development, from the induction of the otic placode through cellular morphogenesis, to the onset of auditory function. In each chapter, a particular aspect of development of the inner ear is examined in terms of both classic embryologic experiments and more recent advances using molecular biological techniques. The publication of this volume is particularly timely in light of recent significant advances in molecular biological and cellular imaging techniques. These changes have led to an explosion in the pace of developmental inner ear research that is clearly reflected in the chapters presented here. The book will serve as a useful resource for scientists who study inner ear biology, as well as developmental biologists who work in other systems, but have an interest in an overview of the developing ear. This book will also be a valuable resource for clinicians who wish to know more about the development of the ear and about the genetic and molecular factors that regulate its formation. Matthew Kelley and Doris Wu are both Investigators at the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. Arthur N. Popper is Professor in the Department of Biology and Co-Director of the Center for Comparative and Evolutionary Biology of Hearing at the University of Maryland, College Park. Richard R. Fay is Director of the Parmly Hearing Institute and Professor of Psychology at Loyola University of Chicago.