Regarding the sensory epithelium of the cochlea, which statement about hair cell distribution is correct?
- A Inner and outer hair cells are equal in number, each about 7,000, arranged in two rows each
- B Outer hair cells number about 3,500 in a single row, fewer than the roughly 12,000 inner hair cells arranged in three rows
- C Inner hair cells number about 3,500 in a single row, fewer than the roughly 12,000 outer hair cells arranged in three rows ✓
- D Outer hair cells form five rows apically, outnumbering inner hair cells tenfold throughout the cochlea
Correct answer: C. Inner hair cells number about 3,500 in a single row, fewer than the roughly 12,000 outer hair cells arranged in three rows
Explanation
The human organ of Corti contains approximately 3,500 inner hair cells in one continuous row and about 12,000 outer hair cells in three rows, reducing to four or five rows only at the extreme apex. Despite being numerically fewer, inner hair cells receive about 90 percent of afferent fibres and act as the primary sensory transducers, whereas outer hair cells mainly amplify via electromotility. Options B, A, and D invert or distort these established counts.
Reference: Gray's Anatomy, 42nd ed.
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Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.