Journal
BRAIN RESEARCH BULLETIN
Volume 60, Issue 5-6, Pages 397-422Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/S0361-9230(03)00047-9
Keywords
hair cells; auditory neurons; supporting cells; spiral ganglion; stria vascularis; organ of Corti
Categories
Funding
- NIDCD NIH HHS [R01 DC000383, R01 DC01634, R01 DC001634, R01 DC05401, R01 DC005401, R01 DC00383] Funding Source: Medline
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The role of the cochlea is to transduce complex sound waves into electrical neural activity in the auditory nerve. Hair cells of the organ of Corti are the sensory cells of hearing. The inner hair cells perform the transduction and initiate the depolarization of the spiral ganglion neurons. The outer hair cells are accessory sensory cells that enhance the sensitivity and selectivity of the cochlea. Neural feedback loops that bring efferent signals to the outer hair cells assist in sharpening and amplifying the signals. The stria vascularis generates the endocochlear potential and maintains the ionic composition of the endolymph, the fluid in which the apical surface of the hair cells is bathed. The mechanical characteristics of the basilar membrane and its related structures further enhance the frequency selectivity of the auditory transduction mechanism. The tectorial membrane is an extracellular matrix, which provides mass loading on top of the organ of Corti, facilitating deflection of the stereocilia. This review deals with the structure of the normal mature mammalian cochlea and includes recent data on the molecular organization of the main cell types within the cochlea. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.
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