Abstract
To reconstruct the entire arrangements of neural terminals on outer hair cells (OHC), serial sectioning technique was employed. Specimens collected on single hole grids were examined under both conventional electron microscope (JEM-100C) and highvoltage electron microscope (JEOL-1000) with accelerating voltages of 80kV and 1000kV.
It was confirmed that OHC1 from upper basal turn (about 8mm from basal end) were innervated by 13 to 17 nerve endings. OHC2 and OHC3 were also terminated by 10 to 11 and 8 to 16 endings respectively. Every OHC, regardless of which row they are belonging to, possessed both efferent and afferent terminals, although average ratio between efferent and afferent terminals were quite variable from one row to another. OHC1 and OHC2 in the upper basal turn were innervated by almost equal number of both kinds of terminals, but OHC3 showed average ratios of approximately 3 to 9.
