Dynamics of Mechanically Coupled Hair-Cell Bundles of the Inner Ear.

ABSTRACT: The high sensitivity and effective frequency discrimination of sound detection performed by the auditory system rely on the dynamics of a system of hair cells. In the inner ear, these acoustic receptors are primarily attached to an overlying structure that provides mechanical coupling between the hair bundles. Although the dynamics of individual hair bundles has been extensively investigated, the influence of mechanical coupling on the motility of the system of bundles remains underdetermined. We developed a technique of mechanically coupling two active hair bundles, enabling us to probe the dynamics of the coupled system experimentally. We demonstrated that the coupling could enhance the coherence of hair bundles' spontaneous oscillation, as well as their phase-locked response to sinusoid

SUBMITTER: Roongthumskul Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7840414 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature