Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Dextran Labeling and Uptake in Live and Functional Murine Cochlear Hair Cells
05:55

Dextran Labeling and Uptake in Live and Functional Murine Cochlear Hair Cells

Published on: February 8, 2020

Membrane Electromechanics in Biology, with a Focus on Hearing

F Sachs, W E Brownell, A G Petrov

    MRS Bulletin
    |February 19, 2010
    PubMed
    Summary

    Cells utilize ion gradients across membranes for rapid communication and motor functions. The ear

    More Related Videos

    Stereocilia Bundle Imaging with Nanoscale Resolution in Live Mammalian Auditory Hair Cells06:47

    Stereocilia Bundle Imaging with Nanoscale Resolution in Live Mammalian Auditory Hair Cells

    Published on: January 21, 2021

    Modeling Biological Membranes with Circuit Boards and Measuring Electrical Signals in Axons: Student Laboratory Exercises13:56

    Modeling Biological Membranes with Circuit Boards and Measuring Electrical Signals in Axons: Student Laboratory Exercises

    Published on: January 18, 2011

    Related Concept Videos

    The Cochlea01:13

    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.
    Anatomy of the Ear01:16

    Anatomy of the Ear

    Auditory sensation, commonly called hearing, involves the transformation of sonic waves into neural impulses facilitated by the structures of the auditory organ. The prominent, flesh-like structure on the side of the head, called the auricle, directs sound waves towards the auditory canal. The auricle is often mislabeled as the pinna, a term more aligned with mobile structures like a feline's external ear. The auditory canal penetrates the cranium via the external auditory meatus of the...
    Hair Cells01:22

    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.
    Auditory Pathway01:15

    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...
    Mechanisms of Membrane-bending01:15

    Mechanisms of Membrane-bending

    The living membranes are flexible due to their fluid mosaic nature; however, their bending into different shapes is an active process regulated by specific lipids and proteins. The membrane bending can be transient as seen in vesicles or stable for a long time as in microvilli. Cells regulate the size, location, and duration of the membrane curvature.
    Membrane bending can happen due to intrinsic changes in lipid composition or extrinsic association with different proteins. The proteins involved...
    Hearing01:31

    Hearing

    When we hear a sound, our nervous system is detecting sound waves—pressure waves of mechanical energy traveling through a medium. The frequency of the wave is perceived as pitch, while the amplitude is perceived as loudness.