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Hair Cells

Hair Cells

Hair cells are the sensory receptors of the auditory system—they transduce mechanical sound waves into electrical energy that the nervous system can understand. Hair cells are located in the organ of Corti within the cochlea of the inner ear, between the basilar and tectorial membranes. The actual sensory receptors are called inner hair cells. The outer hair cells serve other functions, such as sound amplification in the cochlea, and are not discussed in detail here.

The Cochlea

The Cochlea

The cochlea is a coiled structure in the inner ear that contains hair cells—the sensory receptors of the auditory system. Sound waves are transmitted to the cochlea by small bones attached to the eardrum called the ossicles, which vibrate the oval window that leads to the inner ear. This causes fluid in the chambers of the cochlea to move, vibrating the basilar membrane.

Mechanism of Ciliary Motion

Mechanism of Ciliary Motion

The ciliary structures were first seen in 1647 by Antonie Leeuwenhoek while observing the protozoans. In lower organisms, these appendages are responsible for cell movement, while in higher organisms, these appendages help in the movement of the extracellular fluids within the body cavities.
The cilia are made up of microtubules in a 9+2 arrangement, with nine microtubule doublet ring bundles, surrounding a pair of central singlet microtubule bundles. The doublet microtubule bundles are...

Mechanism of Ciliary Motion

Mechanism of Ciliary Motion

The ciliary structures were first seen in 1647 by Antonie Leeuwenhoek while observing the protozoans. In lower organisms, these appendages are responsible for cell movement, while in higher organisms, these appendages help in the movement of the extracellular fluids within the body cavities.
The cilia are made up of microtubules in a 9+2 arrangement, with nine microtubule doublet ring bundles, surrounding a pair of central singlet microtubule bundles. The doublet microtubule bundles are...

Auditory Pathway

Auditory Pathway

Auditory pathways constitute the complex neural circuits responsible for transmitting and interpreting auditory information from the peripheral auditory system to the brain. Sound waves are initially captured by the outer ear, funneled through the ear canal, and reach the tympanic membrane (eardrum). These vibrations are transmitted via the middle ear's ossicles to the inner ear's cochlea.
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking the...

Equilibrium and Balance

Equilibrium and Balance

The inner ear assumes dual functionalities of auditory perception and equilibrium maintenance. The vestibule is the organ responsible for balance. This organ contains mechanoreceptors, specifically hair cells, endowed with stereocilia, which aid in deciphering information regarding the position and motion of our heads. Two intrinsic components, the utricle and saccule, help perceive head position, while the semicircular canals track head movement. Neurological messages initiated in the...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Investigating Outer Hair Cell Motility with a Combination of External Alternating Electrical Field Stimulation and High-speed Image Analysis

Investigating Outer Hair Cell Motility with a Combination of External Alternating Electrical Field Stimulation and High-speed Image Analysis

Published on: July 18, 2011

Cochlear outer hair cell motility.

Jonathan Ashmore¹

¹Department of Physiology and UCL Ear Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom. j.ashmore@ucl.ac.uk

Physiological Reviews

|January 16, 2008

Summary

Outer hair cells in the cochlea amplify sound via motor proteins like prestin. This review examines prestin

Area of Science:

Auditory Neuroscience
Cellular Biophysics
Molecular Biology

Background:

Normal hearing relies on sound amplification in the mammalian cochlea.
Outer hair cells (OHCs) are essential motile sensory cells responsible for cochlear amplification.
OHC function is driven by forces generated through changes in membrane potential.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the functional and structural properties of prestin, a key motor protein in OHCs.
To critically assess whether OHC motility fully explains sound amplification across all frequencies.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on outer hair cell motility and prestin.
Analysis of functional and structural data related to the prestin protein.
Examination of theoretical models and experimental evidence for cochlear amplification mechanisms.

More Related Videos

Evaluation of Planar-Cell-Polarity Phenotypes in Ciliopathy Mouse Mutant Cochlea

Evaluation of Planar-Cell-Polarity Phenotypes in Ciliopathy Mouse Mutant Cochlea

Published on: February 21, 2016

Cochlear Surface Preparation in the Adult Mouse

Cochlear Surface Preparation in the Adult Mouse

Published on: November 6, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Investigating Outer Hair Cell Motility with a Combination of External Alternating Electrical Field Stimulation and High-speed Image Analysis

Investigating Outer Hair Cell Motility with a Combination of External Alternating Electrical Field Stimulation and High-speed Image Analysis

Published on: July 18, 2011

Evaluation of Planar-Cell-Polarity Phenotypes in Ciliopathy Mouse Mutant Cochlea

Evaluation of Planar-Cell-Polarity Phenotypes in Ciliopathy Mouse Mutant Cochlea

Published on: February 21, 2016

Cochlear Surface Preparation in the Adult Mouse

Cochlear Surface Preparation in the Adult Mouse

Published on: November 6, 2019

Main Results:

Prestin, a member of the SLC26 transporter superfamily, is crucial for OHC electromotility.
The review details the known functional and structural characteristics of prestin.
The extent to which OHC motility accounts for amplification across the frequency spectrum is discussed.

Conclusions:

Prestin-mediated OHC motility is fundamental to auditory amplification.
Further investigation is needed to confirm the role of OHC motility in amplifying sound at all frequencies.
Understanding prestin's properties is key to understanding the mechanics of hearing.