The presence of iNOS in the capillaries of the BLB, and nitrotyrosine in the BLB and the stroma, coupled with the histopathological findings of damage to the endothelial cells and the microvasculature, is strongly suggestive that oxidative stress mediates the damage to the BLB in MD leading to a cascade of events culminating in damage within the vestibular endorgan. This evidence concerns the gene NOS2 and Menkes disease.