hair cells in organ of Corti

3.25  hair cells in organ of Corti. Sensory receptor cells for hearing. Hair cells are ciliated epithelial cells located within the organ of Corti and are subdivided into the inner hair cells and the outer hair cells. Nerve innervation is different for the inner and outer hair cells. Several dozen hairlike processes, called stereovilli, are attached to the cuticular surface at the free end of each hair cell; the cuticular surface forms part of the reticular lamina. The bases of the hair cells are in contact with the dendritic processes of the neurons of the spiral ganglion of the cochlea.

Annotation 1      The inner hair cells in the organ of Corti form a single row supported on one side by the inner rods of Corti and on the other by the inner phalangeal cells and the border cells. The human organ of Corti contains approximately 3500 inner hair cells for young persons and typically declines with age.

Annotation 2      The outer hair cells in the organ of Corti form three rows at the base of the cochlea and four rows at the apex. They are supported by the cells of Deiter. The human organ of Corti contains approximately 15,000 outer hair cells for young persons and typically declines with age.