Question

Inner hair cells in the cochlea transduce the perception of sound, but the loss of outer hair cells would greatly impair hearing. Select all the reasons why (there's more than one answer):

A. Outer hair cells supply trophic support to inner hair cells.

B. There is a sharpening of the tuning curve when outer hair cells are dead.

C. There is a sharpening of the tuning curve when outer hair cells are alive.

D. Outer hair cells are little mechanical amplifiers that smooth out the movement of the basilar membrane.

E. Outer hair cells are little mechanical amplifiers that increase the movement of the basilar membrane.

Answer 1

The loss of outer hair cells greatly impairs hearing due to their role in providing trophic support to inner hair cells, sharpening the tuning curve, and acting as mechanical amplifiers.

Step-by-step explanation:

The loss of outer hair cells greatly impairs hearing due to a few reasons. Firstly, outer hair cells supply trophic support to inner hair cells, which is important for the proper functioning of the inner hair cells that transduce the perception of sound. Additionally, the presence of outer hair cells helps in sharpening the tuning curve, making it easier to discern different frequencies of sound. Lastly, the outer hair cells act as mechanical amplifiers, smoothing out the movement of the basilar membrane, which is necessary for proper sound perception.