Interaction of light with the organ of Corti. I. Light guide effects in cochlear hair cells.
A cochlear postmortem preparation has been developed which allows for hydromechanical studies of the transilluminated organ of Corti. It was found that cochlear hair cells act as optical waveguides. This poperty of hair cells is important for optical cochlear investigations. It may be used in the study of the motion of single hair cells.
D000818:Animals; D003051:Cochlea / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology / Q000295:instrumentation; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006198:Hair Cells, Auditory / Q000502:physiology*; D006736:Horses; D008027:Light; D008465:Mechanoreceptors / Q000502:physiology*; D009925:Organ of Corti / Q000502:physiology*; D011817:Rabbits