Kinocilium

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Kinocilium
[[Image:|190px|center|]]
Latin	'
Gray's	subject #
System
MeSH	[1]
[[Image:|190px|center|]]

A kinocilium is a special structure connected to the hair cells of the inner ear's cochlea. It acts to aid in depolarization and hyperpolarization of the plasma membrane due to bending of stereocilia.

Contents 1 Anatomy in humans 2 Anatomy in fish and frogs 3 References 4 External links 5 See also

[edit] Anatomy in humans

In the human ear, each hair cell has an especially tall cilium, called the kinocilium. Cochlear hair cells have kinocilia that degenerate during fetal development, indicating these processes play no essential role in transduction; instead kinocilia may be important in delineating the anatomical asymmetry of stereocilia or in making some mechanical connections with the hair cells in which they persist.^[1]

[edit] Anatomy in fish and frogs

The apical surface of a sensory fish hair cell usually has numerous stereocilia and a single, much longer kinocilium. Deflection of the stereocilia toward or away from the kinocilium causes an increase or decrease in the firing rate of the sensory neuron innervating the hair cell at its basal surface.

Hair cells in fish and some frogs are used to detect water movements around their bodies. These hair cells are embedded in a jelly-like protrusion called cupula. The hair cells therefore can not be seen and do not appear on the surface of skin of fish and frogs.

[edit] References

1. ↑ Nolte, John (2002). The human brain: an introduction to its functional anatomy, St. Louis: Mosby.

[edit] External links

• http://www.unmc.edu/Physiology/Mann/pix_4b/hair_cell.gif

[edit] See also

• Fish anatomy
• Utricle
• Otolith

v·d·e Sensory system: Auditory and Vestibular systems
Outer ear	pinna (Helix, Antihelix, Tragus, Antitragus, Earlobe) • Ear canal
Middle ear	Eardrum (Umbo) • Ossicles (Malleus, Incus & Stapes) • Stapedius • Tensor tympani • Eustachian tube (Torus tubarius)
Inner ear/Labyrinth	Bony labyrinth (Vestibule) • Membranous labyrinth Oval window • Helicotrema • Round window Cochlea: Spiral ganglion • Modiolus • Cochlear duct/scala media (Endolymph, Stria vascularis, Spiral ligament, Organ of Corti) • Scala vestibuli and Scala tympani (Perilymph) Reissner's/vestibular membrane • Basilar membrane • Tectorial membrane Organ of Corti: Hair cells • Stereocilia • Sulcus spiralis (externus, internus) • Limbus spiralis
Vestibular system	Static/translations: Utricle (Macula) - Saccule (Macula, Endolymphatic sac, Endolymphatic duct) - Kinocilium - Otolith Kinetic/rotations: Semicircular canals (Superior, Posterior, Horizontal) • Cupula • Ampullae (Crista ampullaris)
Brain (auditory)	Cochlear nerve VIII → Cochlear nuclei → Superior olivary nuclei → Lateral lemniscus → Inferior colliculi → Medial geniculate nuclei → Primary auditory cortex

This page uses content from the English-language version of Wikipedia. The original article was at Kinocilium. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Psychology Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.