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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2010 Jun 21.
Published in final edited form as: Volta Rev. 1997;99(5):9–28.

Figure 6.

Figure 6

View of portion of the third row of outer hair cells. The view is what would be seen if you were looking towards the central axis of the cochlea and the most lateral set of supporting cells were removed. The organ of Corti is spiraling towards the top of the cochlea to the right. Stereocilia are on the top and radial fibers of the basilar membrane are seen on the bottom. The outer hair cells sit in a cup formed by a supporting cell. The supporting cells send out a narrow filament that angles towards the base of the cochlea. This unique structural organization means that the supporting cells touch the outer hair cells only at their top and bottom.