Hair cell ir taa sauktaa matainaa shuuna - mehanoreceptora paveids, kortija orgaana sastaavdalja, kas reagjee uz mehaaniskaam kustiibam un suuta signaalu smadzeneem. So sunu darbiba saistita ar dzirdi un lidzsvaru.

(Kortija organs - Mugurkaulnieku skaņas uztveres orgāns; tas atrodas iekšējās auss gliemezī un satur mehanoreceptorus - t.s. matainās šūnas)

Ears are responsible for hearing and equilibrium, and employ special mechanoreceptors, called hair cells

Hair cells are sensory cells that react to mechanical stimuli and transmit information to the brain; they are the basic sensory unit of the inner ear.
neurolab.jsc.nasa.gov/glosseh.htm

One of the specific sensory cells of the organ of hearing (organ of Corti). One end has hairlike projections (cilia) that are imbedded in or in contact with the tectorial membrane. The other end is in close contact with many nerve endings. There are about 400 hair cells per millimeter and about 80 cilia per cell. (2.) One of the specific sensory cells of the organ of balance within the vestibule and semicircular canals of the inner ear.
www.etymotic.com/glossary/main.html

a sensory epithelial cell present in the Organ of Corti
www.cogsci.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/webwn


Hair Cells Keep Us Balanced (p. 281, Fig. 13.15)
a. Equilibrium is two senses: dynamic equilibrium, which involves rotational movement of the head, and static equilibrium, which involves movement of the head in one plane.
b. Dynamic equilibrium is possible because of the arrangement of the three semicircular canals at slightly different angles. When a cupula shifts, hair cells generate impulses to the vestibular nerve.
c. Static equilibrium is possible because as the otoliths shift position, hair cells in the saccule respond to vertical motion and those in the utricle respond to horizontal changes.
4. Hair Cells Let Us Hear (p. 282, Fig. 13.16)
a. Sound waves travel in the auditory canal and vibrate the tympanic membrane, which, in turn, vibrates the auditory ossicles. They cause pressure changes in the fluid of the cochlea as the stapes strikes the oval window. As the fluid in the inner ear vibrates, the tectorial membrane shears across the hair cells.
b. As pitch varies, so does the region of the basilar membrane that vibrates.
c. Greater volume causes greater shifting of fluids inside the cochlea.