%0 Journal Article
%T BK Channels Mediate Cholinergic Inhibition of High Frequency Cochlear Hair Cells
%A Eric Wersinger
%A Will J. McLean
%A Paul A. Fuchs
%A Sonja J. Pyott
%J PLOS ONE
%D 2012
%I Public Library of Science (PLoS)
%R 10.1371/journal.pone.0013836
%X Outer hair cells are the specialized sensory cells that empower the mammalian hearing organ, the cochlea, with its remarkable sensitivity and frequency selectivity. Sound-evoked receptor potentials in outer hair cells are shaped by both voltage-gated K+ channels that control the membrane potential and also ligand-gated K+ channels involved in the cholinergic efferent modulation of the membrane potential. The objectives of this study were to investigate the tonotopic contribution of BK channels to voltage- and ligand-gated currents in mature outer hair cells from the rat cochlea.
%U http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0013836