Stereocilia showing tip links

  • Dr David Furness
  • Digital Images
  • Online

Available online

view Stereocilia showing tip links

Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

You can use this work for any purpose, as long as it is not primarily intended for or directed to commercial advantage or monetary compensation. You should also provide attribution to the original work, source and licence. Read more about this licence.

Credit

Stereocilia showing tip links. Dr David Furness. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). Source: Wellcome Collection.

Selected images from this work

View 1 image

About this work

Description

Colour-enhanced, close-up image of stereocilia on the outer hair cells of the cochlea. When the stereocilia are deflected by sound, the fine tip links that connect them are stretched. This causes ion channels to open allowing potassium and calcium ions to flow into the cell. This in turn sets off nerve signals that carry the sound information to the brain. If the tip links fail to function properly, sound signals will not be transferred to the brain and deafness will result. Conversely, if the ion channels remain open, signals will be constantly flowing to the brain. This may help to explain tinnitus.

Contributors

Subjects

Permanent link