title: Voltage-dependent outer hair cell stereocilia stiffness at acoustic frequencies.
abstract: The aim of this report is to show the effects of voltage changes on stereocilia stiffness in mammalian outer hair cells (OHCs). With the OHC cuticular plate anchored at a microchamber tip, step voltage commands drove an OHC inside the microchamber to move freely while stereocilia were oscillated at 510 Hz by a constant fluid-jet force. With basolateral OHC depolarized and shortened, the amplitude of stereocilia motion was increased, suggesting a decrease in stereocilia stiffness. Such a decrease in stiffness may serve as an important adjusting factor inside the cochlear amplifying loop.
authors.affiliation: Department of Speech Language and Hearing Sciences, Texas Tech University - Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas 79430, USA. Ming.zhang@ttuhsc.edu
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: James G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Surles
mesh_terms: D000162:Acoustics; D000818:Animals; D002923:Cilia / Q000502:physiology*; D004710:Endolymph / Q000502:physiology; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D018072:Hair Cells, Auditory, Outer / Q000502:physiology*; D040542:Mechanotransduction, Cellular / Q000502:physiology*; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D008959:Models, Neurological; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D010507:Periodicity; D010812:Physical Stimulation