Sound-induced motions of individual cochlear hair bundles.

ABSTRACT: We present motions of individual freestanding hair bundles in an isolated cochlea in response to tonal sound stimulation. Motions were measured from images taken by strobing a light source at the tone frequency. The tips and bases of hair bundles moved a comparable amount, but with a phase difference that increased by 180 degrees with frequency, indicating that distributed fluid properties drove hair bundle motion. Hair bundle rotation increased with frequency to a constant value, and underwent >90 degrees of phase change. The frequency at which the phase of rotation relative to deflection of the bundle base was 60 degrees was comparable to the expected best frequency of each hair cell, and varied inversely with the square of bundle height. The sharpness of tuning of individual hair bundle

SUBMITTER: Aranyosi AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1304819 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature