Figure 6. Plasticity in the Mammalian Organ of Corti.

The ability of the mammalian cochlea to produce hair cells after normal cochlear development suggests that the organ of Corti maintains the proper cell types required for hair cell regeneration. A) In the mouse cochlea, hair cells are normally developed by 14 days after fertilization. Red cell=one row of inner hair cells, blue cells = three rows of outer hair cells. B) Culturing the organs of Corti in the presence of retinoic acid, a mitotic agent that induces cellular proliferation, results in the production of supernumerary hair cells (Kelley et al., 1993).