What do hair cells in the semicircular canals detect?

Each of the three semicircular canals has at its base a bulbous expansion called the ampulla (Figure 14.7), which houses the sensory epithelium, or crista, that contains the hair cells. The structure of the canals suggests how they detect the angular accelerations that arise through rotation of the head.

Where do the signals from the semicircular canals go to be processed?

Rotation of the head in any direction is detected by the semicircular canals, and a velocity signal is then passed via the vestibular nuclei to the somatic and extraocular muscles.

What causes hair cells to move?

The outer hair cells are active. They move in response to sound and amplify the traveling wave.

What do the semicircular canals respond to?

inner ear, or labyrinth: the semicircular canals, which respond to rotational movements (angular acceleration); and the utricle and saccule within the vestibule, which respond to changes in the position of the head with respect to gravity (linear acceleration).

What does movement of the hair cells along the basilar membrane do?

The movement of the basilar membrane stimulates the hair cells which are connected to the auditory nerve fibers. The inner hair cells transform the hydromechanical vibration into action potentials while the outer hair cells actively influence the vibrations of the basilar membrane.

What is the name of the movement hair cells located at the base of the canals?

In the inner ear, stereocilia are the mechanosensing organelles of hair cells, which respond to fluid motion in numerous types of animals for various functions, including hearing and balance. They are about 10–50 micrometers in length and share some similar features of microvilli.

What are hair cells?

Hair cells are the sensory cells of the auditory and vestibular systems. Hair cells are the sensory cells of the internal ear, essential for the senses of sound and balance.

What is the connection between hair cells and pitch?

High-pitched sounds are detected by cells with shorter hair bundles, located closest to where sound enters the ear; lower-pitched sounds are detected by cells with taller hair bundles located further in, and that pattern progresses through the several thousand hair cells that are essential for hearing.

What happens when the hair cell bends?

Sensory cells, called hair cells, bend in the cochlea as the fluid is disrupted by the mechanical vibrations. This bending of the hair cells causes electrical signals to be sent to the brain by way of the auditory nerve.

What role do outer hair cells play in the transmission of sound quizlet?

a) 95\% of neurons innervate inner hair cells, 5\% outer hair cells. c) Outer hair cells act to amplify the sound signal by enhancing the movement of the basilar membrane. Neurons have a characteristic frequency at which they respond with the greatest intensity; thus, neurons are “tuned” to different frequencies.

What kind of receptors are found on the hair cells of the saccule utricle and semicircular ducts?

Vestibular receptors are located in the semicircular canals of the ear, which provide input on rotatory movements (angular acceleration), and in the utricle and saccule, which generate information on linear acceleration and the influence of gravitational pull. This information is relayed by the vestibular fibres,…

What does a hair cell do when the portion of the basilar membrane to which it is attached vibrates?

Transduction of mechanical vibrations. The hair cells located in the organ of Corti transduce mechanical sound vibrations into nerve impulses. They are stimulated when the basilar membrane, on which the organ of Corti rests, vibrates.