Abstract
The electromotility of the outer hair cell appears to be a key feature in mammalian cochlear function. The present study was motivated by the conclusion of Brownell (1990) that the normal level of turgor pressure in the cell is necessary for electromotility to occur. The unique feature of the outer hair cell, compared to the inner hair cell, appears to be the development of the cell wall, as discussed by Forge (1989), featuring micropillars discovered by Flock, et al (1987) which connect the plasma membrane and the outermost membrane of the lateral cisterna. The elastic behavior of such a double wall system is therefore of interest. We consider the possibility of an elastic instability of the micropillars, which could be related to the conversion of electrical charge to elastic force.
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References
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© 1990 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Steele, C.R. (1990). Elastic Behavior of the Outer Hair Cell Wall. In: Dallos, P., Geisler, C.D., Matthews, J.W., Ruggero, M.A., Steele, C.R. (eds) The Mechanics and Biophysics of Hearing. Lecture Notes in Biomathematics, vol 87. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-4341-8_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-4341-8_10
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