Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2011 Oct;19(5):369-75.
doi: 10.1097/MOO.0b013e32834a8c33.

The physical basis of active mechanosensitivity by the hair-cell bundle

Affiliations
Review

The physical basis of active mechanosensitivity by the hair-cell bundle

Jérémie Barral et al. Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2011 Oct.

Abstract

Purpose of review: Hearing starts with the deflection of the hair bundle that sits on top of each mechanosensory hair cell. Recent advances indicate that the hair bundle mechanically amplifies its inputs to participate in the active process that boosts the ear's technical specifications. This review integrates experimental and modeling studies to dissect the mechanisms of active mechanosensation by the hair-cell bundle.

Recent findings: The exquisite mechanosensitivity of the hair-cell bundle results from a precisely choreographed interplay between a structure of mechanically coupled stereocilia that ensures efficient transmission of sound-energy to the transduction machinery, Ca-driven adaptation that provides fast electromechanical feedback on hair-bundle movements, and a mechanical nonlinearity inherent to the transduction process that fosters autonomous hair-bundle oscillations. In cochlear outer hair cells, cooperation between active hair-bundle motility and somatic electromotility brings the cochlear partition to the brink of an oscillatory instability, at which general physical laws ensure optimal properties for auditory detection.

Summary: The study of active hair-bundle mechanics promotes a general principle for auditory detection that is based on the generic properties of self-sustained mechanical oscillators. This principle may guide future engineering design of cochlear implants.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

Cited by

LinkOut - more resources