A mechanism by which the hair cells of the inner ear transduce mechanical energy into a modulated train of action potentials.

Physical models of the hair cells of the inner ear were built and analyzed. These models suggest that a straightforward physical process is capable of modulating the electrical resistance of the hair cell. Strong evidence in the literature indicates that such a change in resistance would modulate an otherwise steady electrical current which flows across the hair cell. This would cause the resting potential of the hair cell to change in a systematic fashion, eventually giving rise to the modulated train of action potentials in the neurons leading from the hair cell to the central nervous system.