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Glossar
15.03.2017
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- News from the Institutes
Teamwork in the inner ear
Our hearing is based on the organized grouping of proteins
06.11.2025
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- Grundlagen
- Communication in the Brain
The battle over the neuron doctrine
The neuron doctrine is considered a fundamental idea in brain research – and has caused controversy.
26.08.2025
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- Percipience
- Hearing
From wiggling to the wonderful variety of sounds
It is a long way from purely mechanical vibrations to the world of sounds and tones.
17.10.2025
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- Percipience
- Hearing
A Labyrinth for Balance
A sophisticated labyrinth in the ear keeps our body balanced: the vestibular system.
17.10.2025
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- Glossary
Hair cells
Sensory cells in the inner ear located in the organ of Corti and the semicircular canals. The hair cells in the organ of Corti are responsible for transducing (converting) the vibrations into electrical potentials. Each of these sensory cells has hair-like protrusions of varying lengths, called stereocilia. These are interconnected. The movement of these stereocilia caused by the vibrations is the key to signal transduction in the hair cells.
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- Glossary
Outer hair cell
Outer and inner hair cells are sensory cells for acoustic signals in the organ of Corti. At their tips, they have hair-like projections called stereocilia, which are connected to each other and, in the case of the outer hair cells, also to the tectorial membrane. The three rows of outer hair cells filter acoustic signals and act as a cochlear amplifier: without them, our hearing sensitivity would be reduced by about 50 dB.
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- Glossary
Inner hair cell
Outer and inner hair cells are sensory cells for acoustic signals in the organ of Corti. At their tips, they have hair-like projections called stereocilia, which are interconnected. The approximately 3,000 inner hair cells are all arranged in a row. They are the actual acoustic sensory cells. The stereocilia are deflected by fluid movement in the subtectorial cleft.
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- Percipience
- Hearing
From Sound to Interpretation
How the ear processes fluctuations in air pressure into meaningful information.
03.10.2025
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- Percipience
- Hearing
Ringing in the ears
Tinnitus: The annoying whistling and buzzing does not originate in the ear, but in the brain.
28.10.2025
