Phantom auditory perception—tinnitus—is a symptom of many pathologies. Although there
are a number of theories postulating certain mechanisms of its generation, none have been …

Uniquely among human senses, hearing is not simply a passive response to stimulation.
Our auditory system is instead enhanced by an active process in cochlear hair cells that …

In mammals, environmental sounds stimulate the auditory receptor, the cochlea, via
vibrations of the stapes, the innermost of the middle ear ossicles. These vibrations produce …

Sensory transduction in auditory and vestibular hair cells requires expression of
transmembrane channel-like (Tmc) 1 and 2 genes, but the function of these genes is …

Much is known about the mechanotransducer (MT) channels mediating transduction in hair
cells of the vertrbrate inner ear. With the use of isolated preparations, it is experimentally …

The simplest cell-like structure, the lipid bilayer vesicle, can respond to mechanical
deformation by elastic membrane dilation/thinning and curvature changes. When a protein is …

The senses of hearing and equilibrium depend on sensory receptors called hair cells which
can detect motions of atomic dimensions and respond more than 100,000 times a second …

Sound pressure fluctuations striking the ear are conveyed to the cochlea, where they vibrate
the basilar membrane on which sit hair cells, the mechanoreceptors of the inner ear …

Mechanosensory transduction underlies a wide range of senses, including proprioception,
touch, balance, and hearing. The pivotal element of these senses is a mechanically gated …

Mechanical stimuli are thought to open the transduction channels of a hair cell by tensing
elastic components, the gating springs, that pull directly on the channels. To test this model …