What are cochlear hair cells?
Cochlear hair cells are the tiny hair like projections present in the cochlear portion of the inner ear and are responsible for the transduction of mechanical energy into a series of electrical impulses. These impulses are then transmitted along the various nerve endings to reach the auditory cortex of the brain,thereby producing the sensation of sound. In the human ear there are about fifteen to twenty thousand hair cells which are present at birth. These cells are arranged in various rows called inner and outer hair cells. The exact functional differences are not completely understood, but current research seems to indicate that the inner hair cells have the primary function of electrical transduction. The outer hair cells serve to amplify the auditory sensitivity by active displacement of the basilar membrane. They also sharpen or clarify the frequency-specific information perceived by the inner hair cells.
