Table 1.

Dimensions of isolated hair cells

	Length (μm) mean ± SE	Width (μm) mean ± SE	Surface area (μm2)
0.3 neural	17  ± 0.4	10  ± 0.3	612
0.3 abneural	13  ± 0.4	11  ± 0.5	544
1.0 neural	16  ± 0.4	10  ± 0.3	581
1.0 abneural	10  ± 0.2	14  ± 0.4	594
2.0 neural	12  ± 0.3	9  ± 0.3	402
2.0 abneural	9  ± 0.3	14  ± 0.5	550

The mean dimensions of hair cells isolated from neural and abneural thirds of the basilar papilla at positions 0.3, 1.0, and 2.0 mm from the apical tip (see Fig. 1). Isolated hair cells were measured with an ocular micrometer before whole-cell recording. The length was measured from the base of the hair bundle (cuticular plate) to the synaptic pole of the cell. Width is the diameter of the cuticular surface of the cell. Neural hair cells were taller and narrower than abneural hair cells at each position, and those differences were greatest at the basal-most position. Surface area is calculated on the basis of a single-ended cylinder with those dimensions. A single-ended cylinder was chosen to approximate the effect of tapering of the cell body from cuticular plate to synaptic pole.