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The cochlea is a portion of the inner ear that looks like a snail shell (cochlea is Greek for snail). [5] The cochlea receives sound in the form of vibrations, which cause the stereocilia to move. The stereocilia then convert these vibrations into nerve impulses which are taken up to the brain to be interpreted.
As acoustic sensors in mammals, stereocilia are lined up in the organ of Corti within the cochlea of the inner ear. In hearing, stereocilia transform the mechanical energy of sound waves into electrical signals for the hair cells, which ultimately leads to an excitation of the auditory nerve .
The stereocilia atop the IHCs move with this fluid displacement and in response their cation, or positive ion selective, channels are pulled open by cadherin structures called tip links that connect adjacent stereocilia. [9] The organ of Corti, surrounded in potassium-rich fluid endolymph, lies on the basilar membrane at the base of the scala ...
The cochlea, dedicated to hearing; converting sound pressure patterns from the outer ear into electrochemical impulses which are passed on to the brain via the auditory nerve. The vestibular system, dedicated to balance. The inner ear is found in all vertebrates, with substantial variations in form and function.
The cochlear amplifier is a positive feedback mechanism within the cochlea that provides acute sensitivity in the mammalian auditory system. [1] The main component of the cochlear amplifier is the outer hair cell (OHC) which increases the amplitude and frequency selectivity of sound vibrations using electromechanical feedback.
The stereocilia number from fifty to a hundred in each cell while being tightly packed together [2] and decrease in size the further away they are located from the kinocilium. [ 3 ] Mammalian cochlear hair cells are of two anatomically and functionally distinct types, known as outer, and inner hair cells.
The plan view of the human cochlea (typical of all mammalian and most vertebrates) shows where specific frequencies occur along its length. The frequency is an approximately exponential function of the length of the cochlea within the Organ of Corti. In some species, such as bats and dolphins, the relationship is expanded in specific areas to ...
Every hair cell in these sensory beds consist of 40-70 stereocilia and a kinocilium. [2] The stereocilia and kinocilium are embedded in the otolithic membrane and are essential in the function of the otolith organs. The hair cells are deflected by structures called otoconia.