Active Force Generated by the Motility of the Outer Hair Cell

Although the force production of the outer hair cell (OHC) leads to the fine tuning of the mammalian cochlea, the value of the force generated by the motility of the OHC in vivo has not been clarified yet. In this study, first, the active force generated by the motility of the load-free OHC in response to an electrical stimulation was measured from the deflection of the force probe. Next, to establish cell conditions similar to those of the intact cochlea, a compressive load was applied to the OHC using a force probe driven by a bimorph actuator, and then the active force generated by the motility of the loaded OHC was determined. Comparing the active force generated by the motility of the load-free OHC with that by the motility of the loaded OHC, it was found that the active force decreased due to application of the compressive load.