Inner hair cells

Category

Hearing

Function

Primary auditory transduction

Quantity

~7,000 (3,500 / cochlea)

Density

Single row along the organ of Corti

Distribution

Both cochleae, tonotopically from base (high Hz) to apex (low Hz)

Relative Deployment

Notes

Almost all auditory-nerve fibers contact inner hair cells. They convert basilar-membrane motion into the hearing signal.

Interacting Systems & Components

• Mechanoreceptor (broader category)
• Nervous System (auditory signaling)