Sensory Hairs as Mechanical Filters in Crista Ampullaris: Passive through Structure and Active through Contraction

Abstract

The present text is a summary of original work describing individual variation in mechanical filter properties between different sensory hair bundles in the frog crista ampullaris. The difference relies on a variation of the degree of development of stereocilia within each bundle. Active control of mechanical properties is implied by the finding that media that would induce contraction in a muscle cell cause a restriction of motility of the sensory hairs.