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Updated: Aug 21, 2026

Stereocilia Bundle Imaging with Nanoscale Resolution in Live Mammalian Auditory Hair Cells
Published on: January 21, 2021
Computational models of hair cell bundle mechanics: I. Single stereocilium
1Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics and School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Mail Code 0219, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.
Abstract:
A distributed parameter model for describing the response of a stereocilium to an applied force is presented. This model is based on elasticity theory, plus the geometry and material properties of the stereocilium. The stereocilia shaft above the taper is not assumed to be perfectly rigid. It is assumed to be deformable and that two separate mechanisms are involved in its deformation: bending and shear. The influence of each mode of deformation is explored in parametric studies. Results show that the magnitude of tip deflection depends on the shear compliance of the stereocilium material, the degree of base taper, and stereocilium height. Furthermore, the deformation profiles observed experimentally will occur only if there are constraints on the geometry and material properties of the stereocilium.
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