Built-in amps: How subtle head motions, quiet sounds are reported to the brain
Sunday, February 14, 2010 - 23:28
in Physics & Chemistry
Subtle head motions are amplified by inner-ear hair cells before the signal is reported to the brain, report scientists. In both the auditory and the vestibular systems, hair cell response is nonlinear: the lower the strength of the stimulus, the more the hair cell amplifies the signal.