• The otolithic membrane adds weight to the tops of the hair cells and increases their inertia. (wikipedia.org)
  • The otolithic membrane of the macula utriculi briefly lags behind the rest of the tissues, bends the stereocilia backward, and stimulates the cells. (wikipedia.org)
  • When you stop at the next light, the macula stops but the otolithic membrane keeps going for a moment, bending the stereocilia forward. (wikipedia.org)
  • However, iodine stained samples of cichlids [ 5 ] did not provide a sufficient contrast to discriminate otolith, otolithic membrane, maculae, and innervating nerve fibers of the VIII th cranial nerve. (biomedcentral.com)
  • In each of the end organs, the sensory epithelium (macula) is overlain by a massive calcium carbonate biomineralisate, the otolith. (biomedcentral.com)
  • it receives the utricular filaments of the acoustic nerve. (wikipedia.org)
  • The non-destructive imaging method of x-ray micro-computed tomography (microCT) was used in a recent study on cichlid ears [ 5 ] and in an investigation of 3D utricular and saccular macula in mammals [ 6 ]. (biomedcentral.com)
  • The hair cells convert this pattern of stimulation to nerve signals, and the brain is thus advised of changes in your linear velocity. (wikipedia.org)
  • They use small stones and a viscous fluid to stimulate hair cells to detect motion and orientation. (wikipedia.org)
  • Maculae are characterized by orientation patterns of ciliary bundles of the sensory hair cells, i.e. the morphologically and physiologically polarized ciliary bundles form differently oriented groups on the macula. (biomedcentral.com)
  • This in turn means that orientation patterns are obtained, shown, and compared between species in a purely two dimensionally way irrespective of the natural curvature of the maculae in the ear. (biomedcentral.com)
  • As has already been stated by Platt and Popper (1981) [ 3 ], orientation patterns should preferably take into account the three dimensional structure of sensory epithelia. (biomedcentral.com)
  • The hair cells are mechanoreceptors which have 40 to 70 stereocilia and only one true cilium called a kinocilium. (wikipedia.org)
  • The utricle contains mechanoreceptors called hair cells that distinguish between degrees of tilting of the head, thanks to their apical stereocilia set-up. (wikipedia.org)
  • Depending on the direction of bending, the hair cells will either be excited or inhibited resulting in either an increase or decrease in firing frequency of the hair cells. (wikipedia.org)