Keyword: hair cell
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Entropy production and fluctuation-response relations underlying active mechanosensitivity by the inner ear’s hair cells
Sounds are detected and amplified in the inner ear by active mechano-sensory hair cells (see Figure). Hearing starts with the deflection of the hair bundle, a cohesive tuft of cylindrical protrusions that works as the hair cell’s mechanical antenna. Hair-bundle vibrations produce an electrical signal that is then transmitted to the brain. Importantly, the hair…
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Electrical control of hair-cell mechanosensitivity in the inner ear
Sounds are detected in the inner ear by mechano-sensory “hair cells”. Hearing starts with sound-evoked deflections of the hair bundle, a cohesive tuft of stereocilia that works as the hair cell’s mechanical antenna (Fig. 1). These movements modulate tension in the tip links (Fig 1, inset) that pull on mechanosensitive ion channels, resulting in an…