Click on one of the thumbnails at right for low-magnification overview.
Hair cells of the organ of Corti comprise two groups, the outer hair cells which are conspicuous on this image and the inner hair cells which are less conspicuous here, located above the tip of the bony spiral lamina.
Hair cells of the organ of Corti are stimulated by relative movement of the tectorial membrane and the basilar membrane, driven by pressure waves between scala vestibuli and scala tympani.
The space of the scala media, including the spaces surrounding the hair cells, are filled with endolymph, secreted by cells of the stria vascularis.
Scala vestibuli and scala tympani are filled with perilymph.
Axons of the nerve within the spiral lamina passes by the spiral ganglion (where their cell bodies reside), hence into the modiolus and then the auditory nerve.
Comments and questions: dgking@siu.edu
SIUC / School
of Medicine / Anatomy / David
King
http://www.siumed.edu/~dking2/ssb/EE001b.htm
Last updated: 12 January 2010 / dgk
