What is the Corti body?

Corti is a nervous apparatus located in a cochlear channel that separates the upper (vestibular channel) and the lower (tympanic channel) of the chamber in the cochle. It is a highly sensitive structure responsible for peripheral nerve transduction of sound by converting mechanical energy into electricity. In addition, the Corti organ lies on the basillary membrane and contains hair cells, tactic membrane and a number of support cells. It was named after Marquis Alfonso Giacomo Gaspare Corti, an Italian anatomy that discovered it. Therefore, different hair cells respond to different sound frequencies. These receptor cells are specialized in hearing and are located along the entire length of the Corti organ. They are prolonged cells with an extension of Vlastice called stereocilia.

In humans, the Corti 3,500 internal cells and 15,000 outer hair cells that are stimulated and highly sensitive to sounds contain. The lower ends of the hair cells are connected to the nerve fibers that pass information to the brain to the eighth lEbe nerve that controls auditory functions. The only series of inner hair cells transmits most of the nerve information about sound signals to the brain. Three rows of outer hair cells arranged in parallel rows carry information from the brain.

sound transduction is not a simple process. When the sound waves reach the ear, they cause oscillation of the tympanic membranes. In fact, the liquid inside the upper and lower chambers of Kochle is moving due to oscillations. The energy of these fluid movements causes the movement of the basilar membrane and with it the Corti organ. In return, the stereocilia of hair cells bent, causing a change in the membrane potential that results in sound transduction.

The destruction of hair cells can lead to hearing loss. Hair cells can be damaged either by selectively or completely exposing industrial noise, trauma from high intensity sounds, medicines that cause toxicityIn ear, such as antibiotics, accidents and infections or diseases, including Ménière's disease. Damage to hair cells is irreversible, resulting in compromised sound transduction due to loss of sensitivity and failure in amplification function, causing deafness and distortion of sound. Hair cells that respond to high frequencies are usually damaged first because the Basilar membrane moves vigorously when the high frequency reacts.