Hair cells actively amplify cochlear vibration rather than only sensing it

Evidence

Later studies have found that the collaboration of the basilar membrane and the hair cells makes a complex signal processing system – an active cochlea – where neural activity can control the vibratory pattern of the basilar membrane. The hair cells not only sense vibration and code this information to the auditory nerve, but they, particularly the outer hair cells, can actively amplify the mechanical motion. The term cochlear amplifier is used to refer to this phenomenon. — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 756

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines the cochlear amplifier and the concept of an active cochlea.