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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.

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...

Hearing

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.

Unrenewable Cells

Unrenewable Cells

In humans, the photoreceptor cells of the eye and sensory hair cells of the ear lack stem cells. These cells are thus unrenewable and cannot be replaced when they are damaged or destroyed.
Photoreceptors
The retina is composed of several layers and contains specialized cells called photoreceptors. The photoreceptors (rods and cones) change their membrane potential when stimulated by light energy. There are two types of photoreceptors—rods and cones—which differ in the shape of...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 25, 2025

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

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

Published on: January 21, 2021

A deep learning approach to quantify auditory hair cells.

Maurizio Cortada¹, Loïc Sauteur¹, Michael Lanz¹

¹Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Hebelstrasse 20, Basel 4031, Switzerland.

Hearing Research

|August 3, 2021

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study introduces a deep learning method for quantifying hair cell survival in organ of Corti cultures. This automated approach offers a faster and more reliable alternative to manual counting for hearing loss research.

Keywords:

Cochlea Deep learning HC counting HC quantification HC survival Hair cells Inner ear Neural Network Segmentation StarDist

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Last Updated: Oct 25, 2025

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Published on: February 8, 2020

Area of Science:

Oto-neuroscience
Bioengineering
Computational Biology

Background:

Sensorineural hearing loss, a leading cause of disability, lacks curative treatments.
Damage to sensory hair cells, spiral ganglion neurons, or their synapses causes hearing loss.
Organ of Corti cultures are vital for studying these structures and hair cell survival.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop and validate a deep learning model for automated hair cell survival quantification.
To improve the efficiency and reliability of analyzing organ of Corti explants.
To establish a robust method for assessing hair cell survival in experimental models.

Main Methods:

Utilized StarDist, an open-source deep learning platform for Fiji (ImageJ).
Trained a custom deep learning model on murine organ of Corti explants.
Validated the model using untreated, cisplatin, and gentamicin-treated samples.

Main Results:

The deep learning model accurately quantified hair cell survival.
The automated method demonstrated high reliability and efficiency.
Successful validation across different treatment conditions was achieved.

Conclusions:

Deep learning provides a valuable tool for quantifying hair cell survival in organ of Corti explants.
StarDist and Fiji offer an efficient platform for implementing this deep learning approach.
This method enhances the study of hearing loss mechanisms and potential therapies.