Abstract
An important function of the peripheral auditory system is the resolution of complex sounds into their constituent frequency components. The responses of individual nerve fibers and hair cells (Russell and Sellick, 1978; Crawford and Fettiplace, 1980) in the auditory organs of several species show extremely sharp selectivity for particular frequencies. There is currently much debate over the mechanisms that determine this selectivity, or tuning, particularly for frequencies close to the characteristic frequency, or CF (Dallos, 1981). In the cochleas of some species it appears that the sharpness of tuning results from processes that maximize mechanical input to the hair cells. In the turtle’s cochlea, however, an electrical resonance in the hair cell may supplement the mechanical properties of the organ in conferring sharp frequency selectivity at the CF, by maximizing the cell’s response to sound of frequencies near the resonant frequency (Crawford and Fettiplace, 1981).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Barrett, J. N., Magleby, K. L., Pallotta, B. S. (1982). Properties of single calcium-activated potassium channels in cultured rat muscle. J. Physiol. 331, 211–230.
Connor, J. A., Stevens, C. F. (1971). Voltage clamp studies of a transient outward membrane current in gastropod neural somata. J. Physiol. 213, 21–30.
Corey, D. P., Hudspeth, A. J. (1980). Mechanical stimulation and micromanipulation with piezoelectric bimorph elements. J. Neurosci. Meth. 3, 183–202.
Crawford, A. C., Fettiplace, R. (1980). The frequency selectivity of auditory nerve fibres and hair cells in the cochlea of the turtle. J. Physiol. 306, 79–125.
Crawford, A. C., Fettiplace, R. (1981). An electrical tuning mechanism in turtle cochlear hair cells. J. Physiol. 312, 377–412.
Dallos, P. (1981). Cochlear physiology. Annu. Rev. Psychol. 32, 153–190.
Hagiwara, S., Byerly, L. (1981). Calcium channel. Annu. Rev. Neurosci. 4, 69–125.
Hamill, O. P., Marty, A., Neher, E., Sakmann, B., Sigworth, F. J. (1981). Improved patch-clamp techniques for high-resolution current recording from cells and cell-free membrane patches. Pflügers Arch. 391, 85–100.
Lewis, R. S. (1982). Characterization of voltage— and ion-dependent conductances in vertebrate hair cells. Soc. Neurosci. Abstr. 8, 728.
Lewis, R. S., Hudspeth, A. J. (1983). Voltage- and ion-dependent conductances in solitary vertebrate hair cells. Submitted for publication.
Meech, R. W. (1978). Calcium-dependent potassium activation in nervous tissues. Annu. Rev. Biophys. Bioeng. 7, 1–18.
Russell, I. J., Sellick, P. M. (1978). Intracellular studies of hair cells in the mammalian cochlea. J. Physiol. 284, 261–290.
Sand, O., Ozawa, S., Hagiwara, S. (1975). Electrical and mechanical stimulation of hair cells in the mudpuppy. J. Comp. Physiol. A 102, 13–26.
Weiss, T. F. (1982). Bidirectional transduction in vertebrate hair cells: a mechanism for coupling mechanical and electrical processes. Hearing Res. 7, 353–360.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1938 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this paper
Cite this paper
Lewis, R.S., Hudspeth, A.J. (1938). Frequency Tuning and Ionic Conductances in Hair Cells of the Bullfrog’s Sacculus. In: Klinke, R., Hartmann, R. (eds) HEARING — Physiological Bases and Psychophysics. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-69257-4_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-69257-4_3
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-69259-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-69257-4
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive