Coupled oscillator mechanism extends the amplifying effect of outer hair cells to high frequencies

Outer hair cells (OHCs) are essential for the sensitivity and frequency specificity of the mammalian ear. To perform this function, OHCs need to amplify the motion of the basilar membrane, which is much stiffer than themselves. OHCs must overcome this impedance mismatch for their amplifying function particularly at high frequencies, where the mismatch is the largest. This issue could be solved by the existence of multiple modes of motion. Here, systems of two coupled oscillators are examined as the simplest of such cases. It is found that some of these model systems indeed make OHCs function as an effective amplifier by overcoming the impedance mismatch. This result suggests that the elaborate structure of the organ of Corti, which can support multiple modes of motion, is a key to the high frequency performance of the mammalian ear.