Hearing involves which type of receptors?

Hearing involves which type of receptors?

• A. Photoreceptors
• B. Chemoreceptors
• C. Nociceptors
• D. Mechanoreceptors

Answer: (D)

Mechanoreceptors respond to mechanical energy, and hearing uses specialized auditory hair cells in the cochlea to detect vibrations. Sound waves move the eardrum and the middle ear bones, transferring energy to the fluid-filled cochlea. The hair cell stereocilia bend in response to this motion, opening mechanically gated ion channels and converting the mechanical stimulus into an electrical signal that travels to the brain. The pattern of nerve firing encodes pitch and loudness. Other receptor types aren’t used for hearing: photoreceptors detect light, chemoreceptors detect chemical stimuli, and nociceptors detect tissue damage.

Mechanoreceptors respond to mechanical energy, and hearing uses specialized auditory hair cells in the cochlea to detect vibrations. Sound waves move the eardrum and the middle ear bones, transferring energy to the fluid-filled cochlea. The hair cell stereocilia bend in response to this motion, opening mechanically gated ion channels and converting the mechanical stimulus into an electrical signal that travels to the brain. The pattern of nerve firing encodes pitch and loudness. Other receptor types aren’t used for hearing: photoreceptors detect light, chemoreceptors detect chemical stimuli, and nociceptors detect tissue damage.